Incentivising small-scale investors to supply affordable private rental housing

Roughly one-third of Australian households rent their residential dwelling, and housing affordability is a particularly acute concern for low and middle-income households in the private rental sector. Among other measures, governments have sought to address the issue by incentivising greater small-scale investment in the supply of affordable rental housing through the use of tax benefits, regulatory concessions and other policy levers. These efforts have had limited success, and incentivising small-scale investment in affordable private rental housing remains a challenge.

This project will examine how governments at different jurisdictional levels can incentivise the provision of affordable rental housing by small-scale investors.

Findings from this analysis will be synthesised to identify potential policy options. This project will consult with policymakers to examine the efficacy and feasibility of different policy options. At its conclusion, this project will produce specific policy recommendations directed at different levels of government on how they could best incentivise small-scale investment in the supply of affordable private rental housing within their jurisdictions.

Lead Researcher: Associate Professor Akshay Vij, University of South Australia

Project Number: 32316