House sharing demand has soared amid the worsening rental crisis.
Finding a rental property in Australia's cities is getting harder as demand continues to increase, while available stock is at a record low.
Currently, only 1% of rental stock across the capital cities is available, the lowest it has ever been.
But not everyone can afford to buy a property, so many are turning to house sharing to find somewhere that is affordable.
Flatmates.com.au recorded higher than usual growth in demand for October, with an 11.2% increase in members joining the platform in the past month, up from a busy September and 15.6% higher than October 2022.
New property listings on Flatmates.com.au have also jumped significantly, up 9.7% over the month and 38% in the past year, as the rising cost of living has driven people to look at new ways of generating additional income.
Anyone with a spare room or granny flat has the potential to make some extra money while also providing an affordable place to live for renters finding it hard to lease a property, and half of listings on flatmates.com.au are homeowners renting out a spare room.
The cheapest suburb in the country to find a room to rent is in Tolmans Hill, in Hobart. It is in a prime position, close to the university and a short walk to the beach.
| Rank | City | Suburb | Average weekly room rent |
| 1 | Sydney | North Saint Marys | $188 |
| 2 | Sydney | Bringelly | $197 |
| 3 | Sydney | Richmond | $219 |
| 1 | Melbourne | Lyndhurst | $190 |
| 2 | Melbourne | Rockbank | $199 |
| 3 | Melbourne | Ardeer | $200 |
| 1 | Brisbane | Goodna | $206 |
| 2 | Brisbane | Inala | $208 |
| 3 | Brisbane | Moggill | $210 |
| 1 | Adelaide | Hawthorndene | $165 |
| 2 | Adelaide | Edwardstown | $167 |
| 3 | Adelaide | Westbourne Park | $170 |
| 1 | Perth | High Wycombe | $183 |
| 2 | Perth | Kelmscott | $185 |
| 3 | Perth | Hammond Park | $192 |
| 1 | Hobart | Tolmans Hill | $158 |
| 2 | Hobart | Rosetta | $175 |
| 3 | Hobart | North Hobart | $199 |
| 1 | Darwin | Tiwi | $237 |
| 2 | Darwin | Coconut Grove | $238 |
| 3 | Darwin | Malak | $240 |
| 1 | Canberra | Page | $192 |
| 2 | Canberra | Waramanga | $199 |
| 3 | Canberra | Red Hill | $207 |
The median weekly rent for a house in Hobart is $550, but renting a room in a share house is, on average, just $158.
And, given that the vacancy rate in Hobart is currently 1.21%, finding a room in a share house might be easier than leasing a whole property.
Adelaide has the lowest vacancy rate in the country, with just 0.67% of rental properties currently available; however, there are rooms in share houses available in Hawthorndene for just $165 per week and in Edwardstown for $167.
In Perth, a renter can find a room in High Wycombe and Kelmscott for around $185 per week.
The most expensive cities in the country to rent are Sydney and Canberra, where the weekly rent for a house can set a renter back $700.
The cheapest suburbs for share houses are North Saint Marys and Bringelly, where a room costs on average $188 and $199.
In Canberra, the cheapest share house accommodation is in Page and Waramanga.
House sharing has soared in popularity due to low vacancy rates and skyrocketing weekly rents, with hundreds of potential renters searching for rooms in some suburbs.
And with the peak rental season nearly upon us, more accommodation is needed to meet the demand and house sharing is a good option to increase rental stock.
