The Property Couch Investors Provide Rental Housing: Why Supply Matters More Than Ever | FUNdamental Fridays
Apr 24, 2026
Nerida Conisbee, Chief Economist at Ray White with ~30 years in property and econometrics, explains why investors are a key source of rental homes. She outlines how mum-and-dad landlords underpin rental supply. The conversation covers shifting homeownership by age, policy trade-offs that push costs onto renters, and local impacts when long-term rentals vanish.
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Investors Are The Primary Rental Supply
- Investors supply the vast majority of rental housing in Australia and removing them would decimate rental availability.
- Nerida Conisbee estimates mum-and-dad investors provide roughly 85% of rentals, with government and Build-to-Rent covering only small slices.
Homeownership Isn't A Universal End State
- Homeownership percentages rise with age but a substantial share still rents long-term, so ownership isn't universal across lifetimes.
- Even owner-heavy markets like New Zealand still have about 25% of people renting into older age.
Investor Pullback Causes Rapid Rent Growth
- Reduced investor participation pushes rents up because supply tightens faster than owner-occupier prices rise.
- Nerida links investor pullback to rapid rent growth, noting Build-to-Rent and not-for-profits are too small to replace them.