A real estate analyst expects more Horsham renters to consider home ownership if vacancy rates in the city stay low.
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Real Estate Institute of Victoria figures show 1.3 per cent of rental properties in the Wimmera were untenanted in April, the lowest proportion of any time in the past 16 months.
The last time the region's vacancy rate was above two per cent was April 2018.
Simon Pressley, head of research at property investment firm Propertyology, said fewer properties available for renters meant landlords did not have to be as competitive to attract tenants.
"It puts landlords in the box seat to increase weekly rents when vacancies become available," he said.
"When that happens, people will consider whether to become a homeowner. Supply in the rental market is largely controlled by property investors.
"You could have a lot of development in Horsham, but how that contributes to the rental pool is determined by who buys those properties. It's rare for someone to develop or buy a property only to rent it out, rather than live in themselves at some point."
Figures from property portal Domain showed the median weekly rent for houses in Horsham was $290, up from $280 12 months ago. Rents for units in the city have remained steady at $220.
Horsham's median house price as of March was $276,500, down three per cent from March 2018. This made Horsham one of only five areas across Victoria to record a downturn. In Ararat, median house prices rose 6.1 per cent to $248,000 over the same time frame, while in the Northern Grampians they rose 9.1 per cent to a median of $210,000.
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David Brozinski, a support worker with Tenancy Assistance and Advocacy Program, said a tight rental market made people more likely to rent properties with issues.
"Unfortunately there is nothing than can be done about inflated rent prices," he said.
"The most common complaints from tenants in the Wimmera revolve around repairs and the behaviour of some private landlords that choose not to go through a real estate agent, as often they are not as familiar with Residential Tenancies Act," he said.
"It is important for people in situations where they have entered into a tenancy agreement for a property with repair issues to know they have options to get things fixed.
"Sometimes these disputes can be resolved by the tenant talking to the landlord, or by me advocating for the tenant and providing information regarding the Act to the landlord."
Mr Brozinski said Wimmera tenants seeking help could contact him on 1300 510 439.
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