Rental-Insights-A-COVID-19-Collection - Flipbook - Page 6
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RENTAL INSIGHTS:
DETERIORATING
RENTAL AFFORDABILITY
DETERIORATING RENTAL AFFORDABILITY
Many renters have
struggled to make ends
meet during COVID-19
Emma Baker
The University of Adelaide
Key findings
Why is it important?
Who is most affected?
Renters reported a series
of negative effects on
their living circumstances
due to COVID-19 and
the related lockdown
measures. Many skipped
meals, had difficulty
paying their rent or
other bills, or had to find
other more affordable
accommodation.
Almost a third of renting
households, for example,
had difficulty paying
bills and rent, or went
without meals during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Just under 1/3 of Australians rent, and
in the last Census, more people rented
than owned their own homes outright.4
Even though we have not been able to
measure it until now, researchers in
the field have predicted that renters
would be especially vulnerable to the
effects of the economic shutdown.
This is because, even before the
pandemic hit, there was concern
about rental affordability—renters
were over represented in the industries
most affected by economic shutdown
measures, and many rental contracts
left people vulnerable to eviction if they
fell behind in their rental payments.
The Australian Rental Housing
Conditions Survey shows a diversity
of experience among renters during
COVID-19. The quotations cited on
page 6 show some of the common
issues that people highlighted. Many
struggled to get by, finding it difficult
to pay for basic necessities like
electricity, some drew on their savings
and superannuation, and some called
on their families for financial assistance.
Notably, some people found that, with
the additional support of JobKeeper
and JobSeeker, they had more money
to spend each week.
Income by tenure, Home purchasers and Renters
Proprtion of population
Home purchasers
Renters
Weekly Equivalised Household Income
4
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2017) 2016 Census of Population and Housing, https://www.abs.gov.au/census.
