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    The state of the rental market - line for an inspection in Brunswick, Melbourne
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    The state of the rental market – line for an inspection in Brunswick, Melbourne

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    39 Comments

    1. violenthectarez on

      Who would have thought the most fashionable and popular suburbs in Melbourne would have high demand?

    2. TalkingIsNotMyThing on

      I am going to be honest: I was experiencing this exact same thing (maybe slightly worse) back in 2011 in areas like Northcote, South Yarra, St. Kilda, and others. I would go to at least 6 inspections a weekend, plus almost one a day during the week. After several months, I still did not have a place. It has been really bad for a long time, but it has more media/social media coverage now.

    3. Right_Cross on

      One of the sad byproducts of the housing shortage is that weird feeling that all those people, who equally just want somewhere do live, are your competition,

    6. rustledjimmies369 on

      “I’m sick of Real Estate Apps, and Landlords wasting my time
      Stuck out the front of a crack den at the back of the line
      Black mould inside of my lungs so I can save for a loan
      It’s just the price that you pay to call Australia home “

    7. krooked-tooth on

      So what I need to do is bring down a food van and some chairs for the punters? Could be a good money to be made.

    8. FrizzlerOnTheRoof on

      People love pointing to long inspection lines, but that’s usually because shitty REAs deliberately underquote to spark bidding wars. If a property is advertised at its actual market value, inspections are usually pretty normal, around 3–5 people, in my experience.

    9. stevenadamsbro on

      Renting in a lower cost suburb next to the uni in the busiest period of the year AND when uni starts.

      Not actually a representation of the state of the market. This is what it was like when I was renting in Brunswick in 2010

    10. redex93 on

      At that points what’s even the point of looking at the rental, seriously? Let’s the pics and the line do the talking and just apply anyway, save yourself the hassle of waiting to go in.

    11. orange_fudge on

      It’s been like this for 15+ years. I queued for places in North Melbourne and Kensington back in 2010.

    15. oxxbind on

      Meanwhile the house next to mine has been empty for about 2 years since it finished construction. Builder actually forgot they owned it and got rid of the keys, I had to remind them. Still unoccupied despite them now knowing they still own it. Never even had a rental agent stop by to check it out.

    19. CaravelClerihew on

      We actually found a place in December and looked in the Brunswick/Coburg area. We got a place near Moreland Station. We were a bit strategic and lucky, as we knew places would empty out in December because students would be graduating so there would be more places open.

      We looked at four or five places before settling, and in most cases, there were only two or three other people there.

    20. xvf9 on

      This issue is kind of chicken and egg. Landlords can only charge obscene rents because so many people simply *must* rent in a trendy inner city suburb. We’re not building more inner city suburbs, and suburbs where we’re adding density quickly become “unfashionable”. I don’t want to blame renters for this situation, but it’s going to inevitably get worse if everyone expects to be able to live in the trendiest suburbs. 

    21. External_Birthday_78 on

      Yea mate that’s Brunswick , show me the same line in Dandenong and I’ll agree with you

    22. WiseTemporary3455 on

      What housing shortage?

      For the last two times I found a place it took me one day each time.

    24. Fancy_Cassowary on

      I wonder if they took everyone’s personal info still? I mean at a certain point it’s ridiculous to join the line. The 35 people ahead of you are not going to be methheads with 7 destructive goats and a love of inner-house graffiti and sudden DYI “renovations”. 

      It’s outrageous that this is a serious photo of a line for people wanting the most basic of needs: shelter, and not the newest tech toy or something disposable and inessential to life. It’s a damning photo. 

    25. komos_ on

      It is true that the rental market is absolutely structurally broken and also true that one has to think more creatively about locations one can live in. With the latter part of that equation, there are only so many places one can reasonably live before other costs like transportation are much the same as throwing your hat in the ring for an inner suburb location with higher rent—putting aside lost time getting to work and/or study.

    27. Pietzki on

      I expect to get massively downvoted for this, but I would guess at least 80% of these people don’t *need* to live in Brunswick.

      I get it, the rental market is expensive. I’m a renter myself. But this is cherry picking. I’ve been to inspections 20 minutes from the city with maybe 3-4 families viewing the place. But it’s not in a trendy suburb… Make of that what you will.

    29. NotAnRSPlayer on

      Isn’t this also because anyone who’s ’hipster’ or ‘alternative’ also want to live in Brunswick. No doubt this was on the market for a low price causing the influx of people also

      Personally in my 2 years living in Australia have I been to an inspection like this

    30. GingerPrince72 on

      At least you’ve got a good bit of the ginge in you so are superior to 98% of the population.

    32. ShittyCkylines on

      it’s brunswick dude. 30 years ago there would’ve been nobody. then people realised: trams, trains, uni, pubs, general proximity. it’s a great place

    33. ashplustr on

      I was helping my family looking for a rental last year in Adelaide. So many inspections like this, three of us going to different ones bc the timings always clashed. Good luck, hope you get something 🤞🏻

    34. Ratstail91 on

      I remember years ago, pre-pandemic, there were over two dozen people inspecting a one-room apartment (in a former homeless shelter) smaller than my bedroom. There were 80+ people packed into that complex like sardines…

      Housing in Australia is insane, and only getting worse.

    36. bazzalinko on

      Bro it’s a house with a yard in Brunswick, did you think there was only going to be 3 people in a city of 5.5m that want that?

      Go a few train stops out, anything north of bell st you’ll get a yard with only a handful of people in line

    39. taurus-rising on

      Brunswick was like this over a decade ago when I was renting there, line ups around the block.
      I ended up moving to Coburg which was slightly less worse. I think Brunswick is just far too hot for young people.

      You could try moving south side, there is way less young people so rent is cheaper for way better apartments/houses.