Breaking point’: Overwhelming majority of Aussies demand nationwide rent caps
Rent regulation is no longer just a renter’s issue, with homeowners and mortgage holders also backing caps as national median rent hits $713 a week.


News.com.au
October 14, 2026

More Australians are calling on the government to intervene on rising rent prices as the median payment hits over $700 a week nationally.

News.com.au can reveal four in five residents support some form of government regulation around increasing rents, according to new polling commissioned by The Australia Institute released on Wednesday.



Both renters and homeowners are calling for more government intervention on rising rental prices.

Additionally, more than half believe landlords should only be allowed to increase rent by inflation or less, while a quarter support a temporary rent freeze.

And it’s not just those in the rental market endorsing better regulations, with 71 per cent of people who own a home outright and 73 per cent of people who have a mortgage also backing a rent freeze or cap.

The call for government intervention on rent rises comes as three in five Australians think state and federal leaders should do more to help renters, including three in ten who think they should be “doing much more”.

The Australia Institute deputy research director Jack Thrower said the survey results show residents no longer see housing as a private issue.

“Governments have given away tens of billions in tax incentives for private developers, let public housing wither away and allowed the housing crisis get worse and worse,” he said.   

“This year the Albanese Government made bold changes to overhaul broken tax settings to help people trying to enter the housing market. But after years of surging rents, renters continue to suffer.”


Mr Thrower added the government has the public’s support to shift its focus to overhauling the rental sector.

“This polling shows that voters overwhelmingly back bold government interventions, directly regulating rents and spending more to actually build more public housing.”

Renters want the government to commit to its promise for universal renting rules across the country.

Despite the overwhelming public appetite for federal intervention, rent regulations currently remain a fractured, state-by-state issue.

While some states, including Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, only allow landlords to increase their rent once every 12 months, there are other jurisdictions where rent rises can be performed every six months.

The national median rent is currently sitting at $713 a week, up 5.5 per cent annually, according to Cotality’s most recent rental review.

Sydney has the highest median rent at $843 a week, followed by Perth at $798 and Darwin at $774.

Brisbane and Canberra also has median rent rates just above $700 a week, while Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart have median rent rates between $637 and $672.

Those renting a house will likely feel the sting a bit more than their apartment-renting counterparts, with housing rents rising at a faster rate.

Everybody’s Home spokeswoman Maiy Azize said renters across the country are being pushed to breaking point.

“Rents are at record highs, and housing stress and homelessness are rising with them,” she said.

“Every rent increase forces another impossible choice between rent and the groceries, the power bill, or the doctor’s appointment.”


And with “out of control” rental increases driving up inflation, Ms Azize said it makes sense the overwhelming majority of Australians are pushing for a limit on rent increases.

“Rent increases are hitting every generation. Older Australians are worried sick that their children will rent forever because rent increases are cannibalising their savings. Younger people are taking in their parents who’ve been priced out by one rent rise too many,” she said.

“Letting landlords raise rents by as much as they like is so unpopular that it’s no longer a partisan issue. Whether you vote Greens, One Nation, Labor or the Coalition, most people want rents frozen or capped.”

Ms Azize called on the federal government to work with state and territory leaders to apply nationally consistent rules that limit how much rents can rise.

“We also need to see the federal government build more public and community housing, the rentals that are actually affordable,” she said.

“Renters deserve real relief and protection from unfair rent rises.”

The national median rent is currently sitting at $713 a week.