100,000 Melbourne Homes Sit EMPTY as Landlords REFUSE to Rent Them Out
May 7, 2026
100,945 Melbourne homes are sitting empty or underused right now. 31,890 of them haven't had a single drop of water run through the pipes in an entire year. Not one shower. Not one flush. Meanwhile, 24,000 Melbournians are sleeping rough.
Yeah, nah — this is genuinely cooked.
A renter on Reddit described 74 people registered for a single inspection — giving them a 1.35% chance of getting the place. Another submitted 30 applications and got knocked back every time. And one couple offered 12 months' rent upfront — $27,560 cash, guaranteed — and the landlord still said no. Then relisted the property for less. The maths doesn't maths, mate.
Here's why. Victoria's land tax threshold sits at $50,000 — twelve times lower than New South Wales at $1,075,000. Stack land tax, body corporate fees, a 6% mortgage, and 130-plus compliance reforms on top of each other, and thousands of landlords decided empty is cheaper than rented. The Victorian Government built a Vacant Residential Land Tax to fix it and empty homes went up 16% in a single year. Sensational policy work, that.
And while we're sitting here with 100,000 dark windows, New Zealand's rents actually fell 3.2% in 2025 — because they built enough homes. Canada's rental vacancy hit 4.5% nationally. Melbourne's? Still stuck at 1.4% and falling.
Same hemisphere. Completely different planet.
100,000 Melbourne Homes Sit EMPTY
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It's such a fine line between stupid and clever. Random guest posting.
It's such a fine line between stupid and clever. Random guest posting.
- Bobby
- Posts: 1041
- Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2025 3:07 pm
Re: 100,000 Melbourne Homes Sit EMPTY
Labor has got to do something -
they invited millions of people here when
there was nowhere for them to live.
Millions more are on their way here.
All caused by too many immigrants -
they are robbing people in small towns now -
we've had enough of their crimes in the big cities -
if you leave a new Mercedes in your driveway they do a home invasion
to get the keys -
or they wait till you're at a petrol station at night and bash you for the keys -
then drive off.
They work in gangs of at least 4 so you have no chance to stop them.
A dozen invaded one old lady's house.
I blame Labor.
they invited millions of people here when
there was nowhere for them to live.
Millions more are on their way here.
All caused by too many immigrants -
they are robbing people in small towns now -
we've had enough of their crimes in the big cities -
if you leave a new Mercedes in your driveway they do a home invasion
to get the keys -
or they wait till you're at a petrol station at night and bash you for the keys -
then drive off.
They work in gangs of at least 4 so you have no chance to stop them.
A dozen invaded one old lady's house.
I blame Labor.
- Black Orchid
- Posts: 26393
- Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2011 1:10 am
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