Perth, Western Australia is experiencing a housing crisis that's affecting both the rental and affordable housing markets:

Supply
The city is facing a housing supply shortfall due to years of poor strategic planning. Developers can't build new homes fast enough to meet demand, and the number of potential new homes could be limited by land supply constraints. The city is also expected to fall short of the number of houses it needs by 2027.

Prices
Lot prices have increased by 15% in the last year and 5.2% in the first three months of 2024. People in Perth are still buying 20% more houses per week than during the mining boom, but there are fewer properties on the market than before COVID.

Demand
More than 194,000 people in Western Australia need affordable housing, and less than 1% of homes in the Perth Metro area are vacant.

Impact
The crisis is hitting young people and single parents hard. Some people are having to live in tents in caravan parks, while others are struggling to find safe accommodation.