Sharehouse residents and flatmates have had some good news for the start of 2025.
A cap on international students has helped drive a surge in the number of available rooms for rent around Melbourne, with costs slashed by as much as $100 a week in some suburbs.
New Flatmates.com.au data shows there were 23.1 per cent more bedrooms available this February compared to last.
While the wider city’s typical room for rent cost remained stable at $280 a week in this timeline, the cost has dropped by a third from $225 in 2024 to $150 a week this year for rooms in Belgrave in the Dandenong Ranges.
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Other winners include Maddingley near Bacchus Marsh, where tenants are able to get a typical room for $200 a week compared to $288 a year ago, and Clarinda in the city’s south east where it has dropped $100 to $250 a week.
By contrast, latest PropTrack data shows Melbourne’s median rental price is sitting at $570 a week, having risen $20 (3.6 per cent).
Flatmates.com.au community manager Claudia Conley said while Melbourne was still in the grips of a rental crisis, the figures did show some improvement for those living in sharehouses.
Claudia Conley from flatmates.com.au said there were a combination of factors driving an uptick in the number of bedrooms available in Melbourne. Photo: Supplied.
Ms Conley said while an increase in landlords making rooms available was a factor, a reduction in demand caused by changes to migration policy including caps on international students that commenced this year had also been part of the picture.
“So it’s definitely easier for sharers in Melbourne to get a rental than a year ago, though it’s still a challenged market,” Ms Conley said.
She added that last summer had also seen a higher number of tenants looking to exit traditional rentals as the state’s rental crisis gained speed, which hadn’t been reflected as strongly in 2025.
Ms Conley said the Victorian capital was proving a better option for sharehouse residents than Brisbane, Perth, Hobart and Darwin where costs grew in the past year.
A St Albans bedroom, currently listed for $200 a week on flatmates.com.au
There was a broad decline in room rental prices in Adelaide and Sydney, that reflected Melbourne’s improvement for tenants.
Those looking for the easiest path into finding a room for rent have been advised to target outer suburban areas, and some that have traditionally been lower on tenants hit lists.
In St Albans the 42 rooms listed for rent in February far outstripped the seven people looking for one in the suburb, while in Melton South there were 23 sharehouses available with just six people pursuing them.
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