Rental affordability hits near zero as new snapshot finds just one affordable home nationwide for JobSeeker recipients

Australia’s rent crisis has reached a new low; new data shows the private market for people on the lowest incomes has effectively disappeared, with even full-time workers increasingly priced out.

A new Rental Affordability Snapshot from Anglicare Australia paints a stark picture of a housing system that advocates say is “failing” and affordability is collapsing across the country.

The April 2026 snapshot examined 48,776 rental listings across the country and found only one property across Australia was affordable for someone on JobSeeker. None were affordable for Youth Allowance recipients.

Single retirees are also under pressure; Only 0.2 per cent of rents are considered affordable for someone on Age Pension.

Even full-time employment is no longer a guarantee. A single minimum wage worker could cover only 0.5 percent of the postings, while a couple with two minimum wage incomes could cover only 14.8 percent.

Anglicare Australia chief executive Kasy Chambers said the findings showed the crisis was deepening and spreading into parts of the workforce once considered safe.

“What has changed is that the crisis continues to climb the income ladder,” Ms. Chambers told NewsWire.

He said the biggest change is the increased impact on full-time workers.

“More and more people in full-time employment are being left out. The most worrying trend is that this is no longer a shock but has become a permanent feature of the system.”

“For years, this crisis is hitting the lowest-income people first. Now it’s hitting working people, too. When even full-time work can’t provide a home, the system is not only under strain, it’s failing the people it’s supposed to serve.”

Ms Chambers said people on income support, who had no real access to the private rental market, remained most severely affected.

“People on Jobseekers and Youth Allowance cannot afford to pay rent without experiencing serious rent stress, and this has been the case since we first started Snapshot,” he said.

“This shows that Centrelink payments have remained below the poverty line for too long. Over the last decade, we have seen the steepest decline among low-paid workers and families whose options have dramatically reduced, meaning the rent crisis is getting worse every year.”

The snapshot also highlights how conditions have changed over the past decade.

Ten years ago, a couple earning two minimum wage could afford roughly one in four rents. Today that figure has fallen sharply, underlining the widening gap between wages and rising rents.

Families face even more difficult choices. A single parent looking for a job can afford just six postings nationwide, while a single parent combining parenting pay with minimum wage income can cover only 2.6 percent of the market.

The report also details the human impact behind the statistics.

Rebecca, a single mother working full-time in aged care in Western Sydney, was forced to take time away from her job and her son’s school after rent increases left her with nothing but the basics.

Liam, a university student on Youth Allowance in Brisbane, has been sofa surfing and sleeping in his car after the price of shared homes expired.

Housing and social services leaders said the situation now requires urgent reform.

Jackson Hills, executive director of National Shelter, said essential workers and income support recipients were unable to find housing, and that “this is not a market under pressure, it’s a failed system.”

As the federal budget approaches, Anglicare is calling on the government to roll back tax breaks for investors and reinvest the savings into public and social housing.

“Phasing out capital gains tax relief and negative gearing would shift incentives away from speculation and stop housing costs from rising,” Ms Chambers said.

“The important thing is to use these savings to build public and community homes that people can afford to rent.

“Tax reform will begin to change the market over time, especially if the changes are phased out over the next decade. These changes will curb the big increases in housing costs and help tackle the inequality we see in wealth and housing.”

He said investing in social housing provides “immediate relief”, especially for people who need help most.

“The sooner we build homes that people can afford, the sooner people will feel the difference.”

Anglicare said the opportunity was now in the government’s hands to reset the system.

“Our latest surveys show Australians want to see less spent on tax breaks for investors and more spent on building homes people can actually afford,” Ms Chambers said.

He emphasized that the private market “clearly does not deliver results”.

“Even full-time workers are being locked out and options for people on Centrelink payments are narrowing with each passing year.

“In the next budget the government has a real opportunity to reset the system by rolling back unfair tax cuts and investing in the homes Australia really needs.”