Weakest annual rental change on record: CoreLogic RP Data
Rents across the combined capital cities have had the weakest annual change on record with rental yields hitting record low levels, according to CoreLogic RP Data's April Rental Index.
April gross rental yields for houses are 3.3 percent and 4.2 percent for units and a year ago were 2.6 percent and 4.5 percent respectively.
According to the report the expectation is falls will continue with means that capital growth becoming a more important factor for property investors than rental returns.
"Rental yields are lowest for houses in Melbourne (2.9%) and highest in Hobart (5.3%). Unit yields are lowest in Sydney and Melbourne at 4.0% and highest in Brisbane and Hobart at 5.3%. House and unit yields are at record lows in both Sydney and Melbourne," the report said.
"The low yield profile across Australia’s two largest cities, which are also the cities that attract the largest investment demand, suggests that most recent investors, despite the low mortgage rate settings, are likely to be utilising a negative gearing strategy to offset their cash flow losses against their taxable income.
"Across every capital city except Hobart, where they are 10 basis points higher, house rental yields are lower now than they were at the same time last year. This is reflective of the fact that rental rates for houses are falling while values have continued to rise.
"The unit market shows similar trends to the detached housing market. Yields are unchanged over the year in Hobart and Canberra and lower over all other capital cities. The generally softer yields point to market conditions in which unit value growth has generally outpaced unit rental growth."
