Tenants to take on longer leases in 2022

It will be especially apparent in Queensland, where many are looking for employment, family and lifestyle changes.

Some of the demand will also come from expats moving home from overseas. 

According to Mr Saville, “this demographic and will no doubt stay in a rental property while they look for a home to buy”.

Due to all of these factors, Mr Saville has forecast that the rental market will be especially competitive next year. As a result, he said tenants would be keen to secure tenancies with longer lease times than is usually seen across Australia’s markets.

Reflecting on 2021, he said this year has seen “the start of a property market that is especially competitive with high numbers of applicants attending viewings”.

According to Mr Saville, “tenants respond by requesting longer lease terms from 12 months to two or three years, similar to the commercial property leases. The problem is the rental rate will increase due to demand.”

Down the track, this may result in tenants do find they need to break the long tenancy that they have negotiated for one legitimate reason or another.

It follows a recent explosion in tenants who are looking to break their lease, with Mr Saville previously citing lifestyle changes as a contributing factor to the increase.