Anglicare Tasmania's most recent analysis of the private rental market also showed that, over the first weekend in April, just over one-quarter of the North’s 413 advertised properties would be affordable to households surviving on the minimum wage.

The Rental Affordability Snapshot highlighted that the North was seeing a decline in the number of advertised properties each year and a 49-per-cent decline compared to properties advertised five years ago.

This decline followed a statewide pattern.

“Affordability in the Northern market has declined more than anywhere else in the state; particularly for families,” the report noted.

For the region, 34 per cent of low-income households experienced housing stress through renting in the private market.

Housing stress occurs when between 30 and 50 per cent of a household’s wage is spent on rent.

In terms of access to rental properties, the report found that:

“Given the competition within the Tasmanian rental market for a declining number of properties, these groups are likely to be the most vulnerable to being forced into extreme rental stress to secure a home,” the report said.

Anglicare noted that the state’s rental values had increased by 41 per cent in 12 months until February which was driven by increased competition and property types.

It suggested increased competition was due to a shrinking number of available properties, pointing to the emerging short-term rental market like Airbnb.

And it said that there was increased competition between low-income households, who could not access social housing, and more affluent transient rents such as academics, health professionals and international students.