Anglicare WA calls for the WA Government's commitment to sensible reforms to protect Western Australians from financial distress and homelessness.
Anglicare WA CEO Mark Glasson appeared in WA Today warning that Perth’s housing crisis “has now become an economic one” and called on the WA Government to be bold and take urgent action.
Rapidly rising rents have made Perth the second most expensive capital city for renters, behind only Sydney. New data from Cotality’s Quarterly Rental Review reveals Perth’s weekly median rent is now a staggering $738, while vacancy rates have fallen to just 1.3 per cent.
Despite the state government’s significant spending on housing, the situation is worsening. Rental costs have grown much faster than wages, with rents surging by more than 40 per cent over the past five years, compared to 7.5 per cent in the preceding period. This means the average WA household is paying an additional $20,000 per year on rent compared to 2021.
With a lack of affordable and available housing pushing many Western Australian households into financial distress and homelessness, Mr Glasson, alongside advocacy groups like Make Renting Fair WA, called for the WA Government to commit to necessary and sensible reforms to protect West Australians such as:
- The introduction of a rent stabilisation mechanism that caps rent increases to either the Consumer Price Index or a prescribe formula.
- An increase in the length of notice periods for rent increases.
- Requiring landlords to prove why higher rents were justified.
- An end to ‘no grounds’ evictions.
