Which New South Wales region has the lowest vacancy rate? (And it's not Sydney)

Vacancy rates in the inner and outer Sydney suburbs led a downward shift in available rental properties, however Albury is the most difficult area in which to get a rental across the state, according to the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales statistics.

In the August 2014 REINSW Vacancy Rate Survey, Albury’s vacancy rate increased by 0.1%, but at 1.7% it is the most difficult place to find rental accommodation.

Coffs Harbour saw a 0.3% rise to 3.4%, with the Northern Rivers increasing 1.7% to 3.7%, the highest figure for the area in more than two years.

Inner Sydney in general, however, isn’t far behind with the survey recorded a 0.2% vacancy drop to 1.8%.

REINSW president Malcolm Gunning said that outer Sydney suburbs dropped 0.1% to 1.8%. Middle ring suburbs actually increased by 0.2%, to 2.1%.

“We hit the bottom of the availability trend in March 2014 with 1.4% and have been tracking upwards for the last five months,” said Gunning.

“This decline could really be considered a slight glitch. Over the next few months it is expected that availability will continue to improve as more properties enter the marketplace as a result of the construction boom in Sydney,” he said.

The Hunter’s availability dropped 0.5% to 3.3%, reversing gains made in July, while Newcastle slipped the same amount from 3.2% to 2.7%.

The Illawarra dropped 0.1% to 2.0%, and Wollongong increased 0.1% to 2.2%.

Even vacancy rates in New England slipped, after being at an 11 year high, to 3.5% - a 0.7% drop. Orana continued the trend, falling 1.0% to 2.1%.