Queensland tenants face brutal shortage as 48 of 50 rental markets remain tight

Only one rental market in all of Queensland has been deemed “healthy”, with new figures revealing the Sunshine State’s housing squeeze is still gripping tenants from Brisbane to the bush. The Real Estate Institute of Queensland’s September quarter vacancy report shows 48 of the 50 regions tracked across the state remain in the “tight” category, with vacancy rates of 2.5 per cent or below. Just one area — the Bay Islands in Redland, which includes North Stradbroke, Russell, Macleay, Karragarra, Lamb and Coochiemudlo islands — scraped into the healthy band at 3.5 per cent. A one bedroom tiny house at 9 Kift Street, Russell Island, is listed for $360 a week At the other end of the spectrum, mining region Isaac was the state’s only “weak” market at 6.5 per cent. But for most renters, the story remains brutal. A staggering 34 regions recorded vacancy rates of 1 per cent or less in the September quarter, underscoring just how few homes are actually available. Cook recorded effectively no vacancies at all, sitting at 0 per cent, while Charters Towers and Goondiwindi were next tightest at just 0.1 per cent. Maranoa came in at 0.2 per cent and Toowoomba at 0.6 per cent. In southeast Queensl...