Jun 25, 2026 – 12.44pmRents are at record highs across Australia, hitting the affordability limit for tenants who have run out of the capacity to pay more and forcing them to stay home longer, crowd into share houses or move out of an area as the number of rental homes dwindles, economists say.Rental inflation rose 0.2 per cent in May, the highest monthly gain in a year, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures this week.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles