Australia's independent rental intelligence source for media
Suburbtrends provides journalists, broadcasters, and podcast hosts with rental market data, expert commentary, and publication-ready assets. We publish the Suburbtrends Vacancy Index — Australia's only independent vacancy count index validated against rent price outcomes — refreshed monthly across every major Australian market.
Request commentary or dataFrom the Rental Pain Index to the SVI
Suburbtrends has been a trusted source for rental market intelligence in Australian media since the Rental Pain Index, which was widely cited across print, radio, and television until its retirement. The Suburbtrends Vacancy Index (SVI) is its successor — a more rigorous, higher-resolution measure of rental market pressure built on vacancy count changes rather than listing snapshots. The SVI is validated against actual rent price outcomes (R² 49–59% for houses, 37–43% for units), published at SA2 and SA3 resolution, and refreshed monthly.
Whether you're writing a feature, need a live cross, or want data for a podcast segment — here's what's available on request.
Expert commentary
Quotable analysis on rental vacancy, rent growth, affordability, and rental market pressure for any Australian market. Available for print, online, radio, television, and podcast. Same-day turnaround for breaking rental stories.
SVI maps & interactive artefacts
Interactive SA4 artefacts and publication-ready SVI maps (300 DPI PNG) showing vacancy trends across broad market regions. National, state, and capital city views available. For local and regional outlets covering a specific suburb area, we can provide tailored interactive content and charts at a more granular level on request.
Pre-written rental reports
Suburbtrends Rental Reports are available as ready-to-reference research documents with economist-style narrative. SA3-level analysis with SA2 suburb breakdowns, benchmarked against GCCSA regional averages.
Broadcast & podcast ready
Available for live and pre-recorded radio, television, and podcast appearances. Experienced with national and regional formats. Can provide pre-interview briefing notes and post-interview data packs for your audience.
Interactive research articles
Link directly to Suburbtrends Live Research Articles — interactive, data-rich pages your readers can explore. National outlets can reference SA4-level rankings and maps. Local and regional outlets covering a specific suburb area can be provided with interactive content at suburb level, making your rental coverage the most data-rich in your market.
Story consultation
Working on a rental market feature and need help identifying the right data angle? We can help scope the story, identify the most compelling SVI signals for your market, and provide the supporting evidence. No charge for editorial consultation.
Media data access
Suburbtrends provides different levels of data access depending on editorial context. This ensures local outlets get hyperlocal content that makes their coverage stand out, while protecting the granular data that underpins our enterprise research products.
Suburbtrends commentary is available on any of the following rental market topics:
Kent Lardner
Kent is the creator of the Suburbtrends Vacancy Index (SVI) and former publisher of the Rental Pain Index. He has provided rental market commentary to Australian print, radio, television, and online media for over five years. His work focuses on rental vacancy dynamics, rent price forecasting, and the intersection of housing data with policy and institutional decision-making.
Kent's analysis is grounded in ABS statistical geography (SA1 through GCCSA), econometric validation of vacancy-to-rent relationships, and a commitment to methodological transparency. He is available for commentary, data requests, and media appearances on any Australian rental market topic.
Need a quote, data for a story, or want to book an interview? Fill in the form below and we'll respond within the same business day. Urgent deadline? Mark it and we'll prioritise.