Just over 29% of all households in Tasmania are renters (approximately 68,000 households out of a total of 232,000).[1] Of those who are renters, approximately 5,000 are in public housing, 9,000 are in community housing and more than 50,000 are in private rentals.[2]
In Tasmania, those who are renting through the private market are more likely to be paying more than 30% of their income on housing costs compared to those who own their own home. 47.1% of all households renting through a private landlord are paying more than 30% of their income on housing costs, compared to 9.6% for those renting through social housing and 9.7% of those who own their own home.[3]
Figure 1: Housing costs as a proportion of income ranges
The weighted median rent index for Tasmania was $457 in March 2024, up from $318 in March 2019, an increase of 44% in five years.[4]
The number of dwellings available for rent are extremely low, as measured by the vacancy rate (the number of vacant properties as a proportion of the overall number of properties in the rental market). As at the end of April 2024, the vacancy rate in Hobart was 1.4%, in Burnie it was 0.5% and in Launceston it was 1.2% (April 2024 Tas Housing Dashboard). This is well below the rate needed for a healthy rental market (around 3%), where the market is evenly balanced between landlords and renters.
With increasing rents and a decline in the number of dwellings available for rent, lower-income renter households are being squeezed. ABS data shows that in 2019-20, 30.8% of Tasmanian lower income renter households are paying more than 30% of their income on housing costs (13,997 out of 45,394 households). This is up from 24.2% in 2017-2018 (8,899 out of 36,788 households).[5]
Anglicare’s 2024 Rental Affordability Snapshot shows that low-income households have very few choices for appropriate and affordable rentals in the private market, and that the situation is worsening. In fact, people reliant on government payments including Youth Allowance, Jobseeker Payment, Disability Support Pension, the Age Pension and Single Parenting Payment for their sole income have no affordable and appropriate options in the private rental market.[6] This situation immediately exposes many Tasmanians to housing stress and the risk of homelessness.
The Rental Affordability Index, which measures rent in the current market as a percentage of median rental household income, shows Greater Hobart has moderately unaffordable rents in 2024. Rental prices have stabilized over the previous 12 months, yet low-income households continue to suffer and are at risk of housing stress and homelessness.
For people on Jobseeker payments, Hobart and the rest of Tasmania are extremely unaffordable. Pensioners, including couples, are experiencing severely unaffordable rents across Tasmania. Even part-time workers, especially hospitality workers, face extremely unaffordable rents in Hobart and the regions. This is a grim situation for renters with soaring cost of living pressures and high competition for rental properties.[7]
Two in five people receiving Commonwealth Rent Assistance are in rental stress. In Tasmania, this means thousands of people on income support are forced to choose between paying rent and meeting basic needs.[8]
Assistance is available to Tasmanians on low incomes to access housing. This assistance includes:
Social housing is rental housing provided by not-for-profit and government organisations, and includes both community housing and public housing. The fundamental purpose of social housing is to provide safe, affordable and secure rental housing to those who would otherwise be unable to afford a private rental. Both types of social housing are to house people on low to moderate incomes, however they work differently.
For more information on social housing in Tasmania, click here to see our website page.
Financial assistance in the form of rental arrears, bond, rent in advance or moving costs is available to eligible Tasmanians who are having difficulty accessing or staying in the private rental market. Eligibility for assistance includes low to moderate income earners based on income eligibility limits for retaining a Services Australia Health Care Card.
In 2021-2022 there were 1,754 households receiving private rent assistance in Tasmania (3.1% of all households).[9]
Figure 2: Number and percentage of Tasmanian households receiving Private Rent Assistance, 2013-14 to 2021-22
For more information about eligibility for private rental assistance contact Housing Connect on 1800 800 588.
Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) is a non-taxable income supplement payable to eligible people who rent in the private rental market or community housing and is the most common form of housing assistance received by Australian households. CRA is available to individuals or families receiving a social security payment that pays rent for a community housing dwelling or housing in the private rental market. The amount of rent assistance people can receive depends on an applicant’s income, rent and household circumstances.
In 2022 there were 37,510 income units [10] receiving Commonwealth Rent Assistance in Tasmania.[11]
Figure 3: Tasmania income units receiving Commonwealth Rent Assistance, 2013 to 2022
For more information about Rent Assistance eligibility, visit the Services Australia website (link is external).
For help and advice with tenancy issues, please contact the Tenants’ Union of Tasmania. The Tenants’ Union is a not-for-profit community organisation offering free services including tenancy advice and support. They also offer free community legal education and training in issues relating to tenancy. The Tenants’ Union can be contacted on (03) 6223 2641 or 1300 652 641, Monday – Friday 9.30am – 4.00pm.
[1] ABS (2022), Housing Occupancy and Costs, Australia, 2019-20, Table 11.6 Household Estimates, States and Territories, By selected household characteristics, All households.
[2] AIHW (2023), Housing Assistance in Australia 2023, Social housing households, Table Households.1: Households, by social housing program and states and territories, at 30 June 2008 to 2022.
[3] ABS (2022), Housing Occupancy and Costs, Australia, 2019-20, Table 8.1 Housing Affordability, State and territory, By selected household characteristics, Lower income households.
[4] Tenants’ Union of Tasmania (2024), Tasmanian Rents, March Quarter 2024.
[5] ABS (2022), Housing Occupancy and Costs, Australia, 2019-20, Table 13.1 Lower income renter households paying more than 30% of income on housing costs, by state and territory, 2007-08 to 2019-20.
[6] Anglicare Australia (2024), Rental Affordability Snapshot, Regional Reports 2024, 15th edition.
[7] SGS Economics and Planning (2024), Rental Affordability Index.
[8] AIHW (18 March 2025) Commonwealth Rent Assistance in Australia: quarterly data.
[9] AIHW (2023), Housing Assistance in Australia 2023, Financial Assistance, Table PRA.1: Households receiving Private Rent Assistance, by states and territories, 2013-14 to 2021-22.
[10] An income unit comprises a single person (with or without dependent children) or a couple (with or without dependent children) receiving a social security or family assistance payment and expected to share financial resources. Single social security recipients living together in the same household are regarded as separate income units. One member of a couple is treated as the reference person for the recipient household, based on the type of payment they receive. The order of priority is: Pensions; Allowances; Family Tax Benefit (FTB).
[11] AIHW (2023), Housing assistance in Australia 2023, Financial assistance, Table CRA.1: Income units receiving Commonwealth Rent Assistance, by selected characteristics and states and territories, 2013 to 2022.