Gold Coast rents skyrocket – now officially the highest in Australia!

Gold Coast rents just hit a record high – now officially the most expensive in Australia! With over 24 suburbs exceeding $1,000 a week and vacancy rates near 0%, renters are feeling the squeeze – and landlords are weighing how long the boom can last.

Click below to see the latest rent figures, suburb-by-suburb breakdown, and what it all means for Queensland property.

Hi everybody – George Sourris, Empire Legal.

Today’s topic: Gold Coast rents skyrocket – now officially the highest in Australia!

How expensive is renting on the Gold Coast now?

Gold Coast rents skyrocket – now officially the highest in Australia. The rental market on the Gold Coast is officially Australia’s most intense, taking the top position as most expensive to rent for a house or unit, with 24 of its suburbs costing over $1,000 a week. This is causing real pressure for renters, businesses, and anyone thinking of property in Queensland.

Thanks to Domain for providing the data for today’s blog topic. Recent rental figures provided by Domain reveal the Gold Coast’s median house rent hit a record $950 a week in the June 2026 quarter, with units at $850, the highest of any Australian capital. That is $100 a week more than Sydney at $850 and $250 more than Brisbane at $700, both of which also set records in the same quarter. REIQ puts the Gold Coast vacancy rate at 1.1 per cent, against the 2.6 to 3.5 per cent it calls a balanced market. Gold Coast is the sixth largest city in Australia and claims 8 out of the top 10 most expensive suburbs to rent in the country! Yep, you read that correctly (crazy, right?).

Vacancy rates on the Gold Coast are less than 1%. Over the past five years, the fastest rental growth comes from Paradise Point, where house rents soared 117.7%, to over $1,350 a week. In Paradise Point, vacancies are almost non-existent at a rate of less than 0.2%.  Palm Beach, Bundall and Jacob’s Well rents also doubled over this same period.

If you want to rent a house in Tallebudgera, you need $1,400 a week. Broadbeach Waters and Paradise Point follow next with $1,350 a week, and then Palm Beach at $1,300.

Why are rents climbing so steeply?

Several key factors are driving this rental wave.

Supply and demand mismatch. Vacancy rates on the Gold Coast have been extremely low, meaning fewer rental homes available relative to the number of renters looking.

Inflow of people and lifestyle shift. The region’s beaches, climate and lifestyle are attracting strong interest from interstate movers and secondary home seekers, putting extra pressure on the rental stock.

Investor and landlord cost pressures. Rising interest rates and costs for landlords are partly being passed on through higher rents.

Regional rent surge leading national growth. While some major capitals rental growth is easing, regions like the Gold Coast are still posting very high increases.

How are high rents affecting renters and the community?

The impact of renters and the community. The effects are tangible and honestly, quite worrying. Many renters are spending a large portion of their income on rent compared to previous years. For example, the typical share of income going to rent climbed from about 1/3, to over 40% now, in some cases. Some essential workers and long-term locals are being priced out of the region, moving further out or being forced into shared accommodation.

Lifestyle changes. People are sharing houses with more flatmates or choosing suburbs further from the coast to remain affordable.

What does this mean for Queensland landlords?

If you’re a landlord, property owner or considering entering the rental market, here are some implications. With high rents on the Gold Coast, the income potential is strong, but so the risks around tenant turnover, affordability, fatigue, and regulatory change. It may pay to analyse how long the rental upswing can continue, especially if demand catches up or demand softens.

For those looking at properties in the region, the high rents can make an investment more attractive, but also means you’ll need to factor in how sustainable those rent levels are.

Can Gold Coast rents keep climbing?

What the future could hold while the rise has been steep? Some indicators suggest things may stabilise.

Some analysts expect a softening or plateauing of rental growth, as renters budgets get stretched. If more supply comes into the market, so new builds or more sharing arrangements, it could help ease pressure.

And policy changes, so rent increase caps, better tenant protections, more social housing might also influence the trajectory. Also, Gold Coast Council is cracking down on Airbnb that’s unauthorised.

How is the Airbnb crackdown affecting rental supply?

So you have to specifically have a material change of use on your property to be allowed to short-term stay lease a property. If people are caught doing that illegally, the council will pursue them, which means they’ll turn into normal long-term property rents.

That means that Airbnb becomes a traditional rental, so rented out for a six, 12 month period, which means fixing the supply problem very slowly. We’ve actually done a blog on this in the past, here is the link.

How often can you legally increase the rent in Queensland?

Once every 12 months, and the rule is stricter than most landlords realise.

Section 93 of the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 prohibits a rent increase less than 12 months after the last increase for the residential premises. Since 6 June 2024 that limit attaches to the property, not the tenancy. A new tenant does not reset the clock, and neither does a new owner. The Act spells it out with its own example: rent increased for Tenant A on 1 November 2024, new agreement with Tenant B starting 1 February 2025, rent cannot be increased until 12 months after 1 November 2024.

Entering a new agreement at a higher rent counts as an increase. You cannot re-let your way around it.

Three obligations follow from that, and each carries a penalty:

• Two months written notice for a general tenancy before any increase takes effect.
• The written tenancy agreement must state the day rent for the premises was last increased. Maximum penalty 20 penalty units, currently $3,454.
• If a tenant asks in writing, you must produce evidence of the date of the last increase within 14 days. Maximum penalty 40 penalty units, currently $6,908.

This is the single biggest trap for anyone buying a Gold Coast rental at today’s prices. If the previous owner increased the rent three months before settlement, you are waiting nine months, no matter what the sale campaign implied about yield.

Is rent bidding allowed in Queensland?

No, and the law changed in a way many landlords and agents have missed.

Section 57 requires a residential tenancy to be advertised or offered at a fixed amount. No ranges, no “offers above”, no auctions. Soliciting a higher offer has been prohibited for years. Since 6 June 2024 it is also unlawful to accept an unsolicited higher offer. If a prospective tenant volunteers more than the advertised figure, you cannot take it.

Maximum penalty is 50 penalty units, currently $8,635. Worse, if you are convicted of taking a bond on a tenancy advertised without a fixed rent, section 148 requires the RTA to refund the whole bond to the tenant, and no part of it may be paid to or claimed by the lessor or agent.

Rent in advance is capped too: one month for a fixed term general tenancy, two weeks for a periodic one, and the same prohibition on soliciting or accepting more.

What is the maximum rental bond in Queensland?

Four weeks rent, at every rent level.

The old carve-out that allowed an unlimited bond where weekly rent exceeded $700 was removed on 30 September 2024. On the Gold Coast, where a house in Tallebudgera rents for $1,400 a week, that is exactly the market where landlords used to take more. You cannot now. The cap applies no matter what the money is called or how many separate bonds are taken.

Bond money must reach the RTA within 10 days of receipt, with the approved form. Maximum penalty 40 penalty units, currently $6,908, and a court may additionally order you to pay the RTA an amount equal to the bond.

What do minimum housing standards require?

They have applied to every Queensland tenancy since 1 September 2024. No property is outside the regime.

The premises must be weatherproof and structurally sound, in good repair, free from vermin, damp and mould, and fitted with functioning locks or latches on all external doors and windows a person could reach from outside. Bedrooms and similar private rooms need privacy coverings. Plumbing and drainage must suit the number of occupants, there must be a hot and cold water supply fit to drink, toilets must be flushable and connected to sewer or an approved system, and a kitchen must have a working cooktop.

Failure is a breach of the repair obligation, and repairs needed to meet the standards are treated as emergency repairs. The tenant can arrange them, capped at four weeks rent, and recover the cost from you.

The sting is in section 91. A rent increase must not relate to bringing the premises up to the minimum standards. You cannot pass compliance costs through as a rent rise, and if the tenant challenges the increase at QCAT, the tribunal must consider the repairs you actually carried out.

What will land tax cost a Gold Coast investor?

More than most buyers budget for, because land values on the coast have moved with rents.

Land tax is assessed on the total taxable value of your Queensland land at midnight on 30 June. For an individual the threshold is $600,000, then $500 plus 1 cent per dollar over. For a company or trustee the threshold drops to $350,000, then $1,450 plus 1.7 cents per dollar over. Structuring decisions made for asset protection quietly cost you the higher threshold.

If you are an absentee, meaning a foreign individual without a permanent visa who does not ordinarily live in Australia, you get the $350,000 threshold, no home exemption, and a 3% surcharge on value above $350,000. New Zealand citizens without a permanent visa are caught by this.

On the way in, transfer duty on a $1.2 million Gold Coast investment purchase is $49,525. A foreign buyer adds 8% additional foreign acquirer duty on top, roughly $96,000, taking the duty bill to about $145,525 before you have collected a dollar of rent.

Is a rent cap coming to Queensland?

Not on the current numbers. There is no bill before the Queensland Parliament dealing with residential tenancies, rental law or rent caps.

The only property tax bill in front of the House is the Home Ownership and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026, which deals with shared equity arrangements under Boost to Buy and Help to Buy. It does not touch rental law, land tax rates or the foreign acquirer duty rate.

If you read that Queensland has capped rents, what is being described is the 12 month frequency limit on increases, not a cap on the amount.

What should Gold Coast landlords do now?

The Gold Coast rental market is at a critical point. Rents are amongst the highest in the country and the consequences are being felt by tenants, landlords, and the broader community. Whether you’re renting, owning, or investing, understanding what’s driving this surge and where things might head is essential.

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