Is Your Investment Property Earning What It Should?

Sunshine Coast rents have risen 55% over the past five years. Vacancy across the hinterland is sitting at 0.8% - one of the tightest rental markets in Queensland. Yet many landlords haven't reviewed their rent in over 12 months. If that's you, here's what that silence may be costing.

The market has moved - has your rent?

Rental growth on the Sunshine Coast has been significant and sustained. According to PropTrack, median house rents reached $720 per week as at August 2025, up 9.5% year-on-year. InvestmentPropertyQueensland puts the current median even higher at $752 per week for houses and $614 per week for units, reflecting continued tightening into 2026.

Over five years, house rents have risen 55% across the region. That's not a spike - it's structural. Population growth, limited new supply, and the lifestyle appeal of the Sunshine Coast have all pushed tenant demand well ahead of rental stock.

For landlords who haven't reviewed their rent, the numbers compound quickly. A property sitting $50 per week below market rate costs $2,600 per year in uncaptured income. In a suburb like Yandina - where annual rent growth reached 14% in the 12 months to late 2025 - a single missed review window could mean $5,000 or more left on the table.

Vacancy is near record lows - demand is on your side

The REIQ reported a Sunshine Coast hinterland vacancy rate of just 0.8% in the September 2025 quarter, down from an already-tight 1.2% earlier in the year. The Maroochy Coast sat at 0.9%. These figures are roughly one-third of the 2.6–3.5% rate the REIQ considers a healthy, balanced market.

At suburb level, the numbers are even tighter. Buderim's vacancy rate sits at approximately 0.48%. Woombye at 0.84%. Yandina at 0.55%. In practical terms, this means well-presented properties in these areas are being leased quickly and at competitive rents - there is very little slack in the market to absorb underpriced listings.

This is the environment in which a rental appraisal becomes genuinely useful. When demand is this strong, understanding where your property actually sits in the market - not where it sat 18 months ago - is worth knowing.

Most landlords are absorbing cost increases, not passing them on

The Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA) surveyed investors in 2025 and found that 65% had passed on 10% or less of their increased holding costs through rent increases. This was despite nearly 40% of landlords experiencing cost rises of 11–20% and one in five experiencing rises of 21–40%.

The reasons are understandable. Many landlords have good, long-term tenants and are reluctant to risk the relationship by increasing rent. Others simply don't realise how much the market has moved since they last checked. But undercharging has real consequences - not just for short-term income, but for the long-term viability of holding investment property.

A rental appraisal doesn't commit you to anything. It just tells you where you stand.

What Queensland law says about rent increases

Under Queensland tenancy law, rent can be increased a maximum of once every 12 months. Importantly, since June 2024 this 12-month rule applies to the property - not the tenancy. That means the clock doesn't reset when a new tenant moves in or a new lease is signed.

To increase rent, landlords must give at least two months' written notice. There is no cap on the amount of increase in Queensland - any increase is permissible with proper notice, provided the 12-month frequency rule is observed.

The practical implication: if you miss your review window, you wait another full 12 months before you can move again. In a market where rents are growing at 9.5% per year, a missed review can mean a significant and sustained shortfall.

What a rental appraisal actually looks at

A good rental appraisal isn't just a number pulled from a database. It looks at what comparable properties are actually leasing for right now - not six months ago, and not listings that are sitting unsold. It considers the condition of your property, its features relative to competing rentals, current tenant demand in your specific suburb, and local vacancy trends.

The output is a realistic, defensible range for what your property should achieve in the current market - and whether your current rent sits within it, above it, or below it.

At R&C Property Group, we provide rental appraisals at no cost. There is no obligation to make any changes, and no obligation to engage us for management. It is simply an independent view of where your investment stands.

The best part? It costs nothing

Rental appraisals are free. Whether you manage your property yourself or through another agency, a fresh market appraisal gives you data - and data helps you make better decisions.

If you're a self-managing landlord wondering whether to increase rent, a current appraisal gives you the comparable evidence to feel confident in that decision. If you're with another agency and haven't heard from them about a review, that's worth asking about.

And if it turns out your rent is already competitive - that's useful to know too.