The Anglicare WA 2025 Rental Affordability Snapshot paints a stark picture: no affordable rentals for those on Jobseeker, Youth Allowance, or DSP.
Across the entire state, there is not a single property – even a room – affordable to someone on Jobseeker, Youth Allowance or the Disability Support Pension, according to the Anglicare WA Rental Affordability Snapshot 2025.
The Snapshot, which is taken each year in March, captures the number of affordable and suitable rentals available for Western Australians on low incomes. A property was considered affordable if it required less than 30% of a household’s income and appropriate if it had an adequate number of bedrooms.
There were 3,523 available private rentals listed across WA when the Snapshot was taken, an 18% increase on last year’s total of 2989. Despite an additional 534 properties in 2025, affordability is still languishing.
The WA median rent is $680 per week, up 5% from 2024 and 21% from 2023, and still well out of reach for most households on income support or the minimum wage.
“The Snapshot paints a continuing bleak picture for people on low incomes in the private rental market. There might have been some minor increases in supply, but they're well outweighed by additional demand, and affordability has not improved for anyone.
“First, we've got to look after people who are doing it really tough now. We need to raise JobSeeker to $82 a day to look after people's immediate income needs. We need to lift all levels of government payments so those receiving support, people who are really needing a hand, aren't being held in poverty.
“What we need to do is look after renters. More and more people are renting, more of them in the private market, and we must ensure they're protected. No cause evictions need to be outlawed, NRAS reinstated, and the Rent Relief Program continued. We also must look at longer lease terms, rent capping, and anything else that helps keep people where they are.
“State and federal governments have walked away from their responsibilities to house the population of Australia and Western Australia over many years, and we're paying the price for that now. We need governments of all persuasions to see themselves as the answer to our supply problem and take responsibility for housing the population.
“Finally, we have to wind back capital gains and the negative gearing. We are giving a free kick to income investors to use housing as a wealth generator, rather than housing as a human right that everyone needs to live a good life.”
There were 3,523 available private rentals listed across WA when the Snapshot was taken:
Income Support
- 0 affordable and appropriate listings for a single person receiving the JobSeeker payment, Youth Allowance or the Disability Support Pension (DSP), not even a room in a shared house.
- 4 affordable and appropriate listings for a couple with two children on income support, with 1 listing for single parents.
- 7 affordable and appropriate listings for a couple on the Age Pension, with 2 listings for single retirees.
Minimum Wage
- 14 (0%) affordable and appropriate listings for a single person earning minimum wage.
- 42 (1%) affordable and appropriate listings for a single parent with two children on a minimum wage.
- 42 (1%) affordable and appropriate properties for a couple on one minimum wage and Parenting Payment
- 149 (4%) affordable and appropriate properties for couples, both on minimum wage, with two children.
