Perth renters are enjoying the easiest conditions in the country, with plummeting rents and a luxury of choice as the market continues to adjust to the collapse of the mining boom.

Of Perth’s 260 suburbs, only 12 recorded a rise in median rents during the June quarter. Landlords in every other suburb dropped rents to secure tenants.

The Perth rental market is now clearly the worst of all the Australian capital cities; lower than even the volatile Darwin market, which showed an improvement this quarter, according to the Domain Group’s Rental Report released Thursday.

Perth’s median rents have hit their lowest point in five years, with houses down 10.7 per cent to $390 per week and units slumping 9.3 per cent to $335 per week in the past year. In 2013, when the resource sector was still booming, investors were asking $490 a week to rent a house in Perth.

“Three years ago we were writing about the remarkable increase in Perth rents,” Domain Group chief economist Andrew Wilson said. “The mobile workforce dragged thousands of people into the economy and housing was provided to meet that demand, but now the party’s ended. It just shows you what an incredible force it was, but there’s the hangover after that party.”

Rents are cheapest in the south of the city, Domain Group data shows, particularly in suburbs around Rockingham and Mandurah. House rents are as cheap as $280 per week in Medina and $230 per week for units in Orelia.

Vacancy rates are also the highest of all the state capitals, giving Perth tenants the best choice of rentals in the country.

Illustrator Lisa Max and her partner were renting a tiny one-bedroom flat in West Perth in May and started to consider their options as the lease ran out.

Wanting to stay central, Ms Max noticed a for lease sign on a two-bedroom, two-storey flat across the road from their apartment block. The property was much larger and just slightly more expensive than what they were paying.

“We literally looked straight across the road from our letterbox,” Ms Max said. “The viewing was the same night and two days later it was ours. The previous tenants said it had been empty for a while.”

Ms Max says she remembers how difficult it was to get a rental during the heights of the mining boom: “I remember it was really hard to even get a crappy sharehouse.”

On the other side of the coin, agents say the 12 suburbs where rents have actually risen all offer specific lifestyle drawcards, giving landlords reason to raise rents. Many — such as Swanbourne, Cottesloe, North Fremantle and Sorrento — are beachside suburbs that are consistently in demand with renters.

Nichole Jones, principal Giles Jones First National, said renters were consistently drawn to Glen Forrest for the tree-change lifestyle and were happy to pay a little more to live on the larger bush blocks.

“You’re close to suburbia but you still get that hills lifestyle in Glen Forrest,” Ms Jones said. “You’re 20 minutes from the airport and the CBD, but you can go on bush walks.”



Space Realty agent Michelle Blower said people wanted to rent in Churchlands to get into the popular secondary schools in the area.

Ms Blower is currently listing a luxury four-bedroom home around the corner from Churchlands Senior High School and Newman College for $1500 a week, which she says is attracting interest from families.