Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute - AHURI

The housing construction industry in Australia is at crisis point, and the rate of Australia’s detached housing output has been largely static since at least 1980.

Researchers from the latest concluded that market volatility presented the most significant risk for builders. Dr Andrea Sharam, lead author of the report said, “During booms costs spike, labour shortages hit, supply chains are disrupted and timelines blow out… Booms also draw in marginal operators and under-skilled workers, increase pressure to cut corners, and disrupt work scheduling creating task queues.”

There is no overarching strategy aimed at addressing housing construction constraints. New provides eight interconnected options for policymakers and industry.
The study, ‘Overcoming construction constraints for the supply of new detached and high-rise housing’, was conducted by researchers from RMIT University, Monash University, University of Tasmania, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and UNSW.

Read more: https://ow.ly/v9mE50Z6Xwa



Andrea Sharam, Ali Zolghadr, Louise Dorignon, Ron Wakefield, Ehsan Gharaie, Mehrdad Arashpour, Peter Fairbrother, Anil Sawhney, Mohammed Mojtahedi, Chyi Lin Lee

After 12 and a half years leading the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute - AHURI, Dr Michael Fotheringham concludes his term as Managing Director on 17 June.

AHURI’s Head of Development, Dr Tom Alves will step into the role of Acting Managing Director, bringing a career that spans from the coalface of the building industry, to academia, to direct contributions to policy at the Victoria Department of Premier and Cabinet.

The AHURI Board and Executive have commended Dr Fotheringham for his distinguished leadership, which delivered more than 250 research reports and 17 national conferences, and its lasting impact on housing and homelessness policy across Australia.

Dr Alves takes the reins as AHURI's 2027 Research Agenda launches, targeting housing supply, First Nations housing, pathways to deliver affordable homes, infrastructure delivery, and other pressing housing and homelessness challenges.

Image description: Departing AHURI managing director Michael Fotheringham at the Institute’s offices in Melbourne.

A new has found system-level reform is needed to reduce market volatility and address other challenges for housing construction across Australia.

This Inquiry provides the first significant examination of the Australian construction sector’s ability to deliver both detached and high-rise housing. It analyses:
- construction workflows
- markets
- regulation
- workforce
- technologies
- supply chains.

The study, ‘Overcoming construction constraints for the supply of new detached and high-rise housing’, was conducted by researchers from RMIT University, Monash University, University of Tasmania, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and UNSW.

Read more: https://ow.ly/mO5350Z6X1a



Andrea Sharam, Ali Zolghadr, Louise Dorignon, Ron Wakefield, Ehsan Gharaie, Mehrdad Arashpour, Peter Fairbrother, Anil Sawhney, Mohammed Mojtahedi, Chyi Lin Lee

AHURI’s new report on the short-term rental sector shows, as of December 2023, about 43% of Australia's 171,416 Airbnb listings belonged to single-property hosts. The remaining 98,384 were controlled by just 18,187 operators.

These multi-listing operators include commercial businesses who manage listings on behalf of homeowners seeking to offset the costs of a second property that would otherwise be for their personal use, as well as property investors seeking higher financial returns than those available in the long-term rental market.

The report authors say Airbnb and similar platforms have changed fundamentally. What began as a way for ordinary people to share spare rooms has become a highly professionalised sector dominated by whole-property listings – and regulation needs to be targeted accordingly.

Read more: https://ow.ly/CIrP50Z5ZvA



With The University of Sydney, UNSW and University College Dublin.

Short-term rental accommodation listings on platforms like Airbnb continue to rise across Australia, and there’s clear evidence the sector drives up rents and house prices. Despite this, Australia has been slow to respond, and state-based efforts to-date have often failed to achieve their objectives. So, what does effective regulation look like?

On Tuesday 2 June, the next will answer this question, breaking down research findings from our latest report, 'Short-term rental accommodation: models, impacts and policy responses'.

Speakers include:
- Professor Nicole Gurran (University of Sydney)
- Kelly Grigsby (Chief Executive of Municipal Association of Victoria)
- Dr Michael Fotheringham (Managing Director, AHURI) as facilitator.

Register now: https://ow.ly/NN5x50Z3Hcq

As platforms like Airbnb increase demand for residential property, many communities are concerned about the housing market and neighbourhood impacts of short-term rental accommodations (STRA).

Understanding the range of STRA models, provider motivations, and impacts in different metropolitan and regional settings is key to effective policy development and regulation.
New identifies the policy responses most likely to resolve the competing demands for short- and long-term rental housing.

The study, ‘Short-term rental accommodation: models, impacts and policy responses’, was conducted by researchers from The University of Sydney, UNSW and University College Dublin.

Read more: https://ow.ly/TB6250Z1sHg



Nicole Gurran, Caitlin Buckle, Laurence Troy, Dr Zahra Nasreen, Laura Crommelin, Peter Phibbs, Pranita Shrestha, Declan Redmond, Jason Harrison

What does it take to create effective regulation in the short-term rental accommodation (STRA) sector?

The next will unpack our latest research, 'Short-term rental accommodation: models, impacts and policy responses'.

Join us online on Tuesday 2 June to hear Professor Nicole Gurran, (University of Sydney) discuss the key findings of the research with Kelly Grigson (Chief Executive of Municipal Association of Victoria) facilitated by Dr Michael Fotheringham (Managing Director, AHURI).

Register: https://ow.ly/loeL50Z2w2y

The latest , released today, sheds new light on what it takes to effectively regulate Australia’s short-term rental accommodation (STRA) sector.

The report investigates a range of STRA models across Australia and their impacts on housing markets and communities. Professor Nicole Gurran, lead author of the report said, “Understanding motives is important for policy setting, as restricting STRA may not be sufficient to convert holiday homes into long-term rentals.”

The study, ‘Short-term rental accommodation: models, impacts and policy responses’, was conducted by researchers from The University of Sydney, UNSW and University College Dublin.

Read more: https://ow.ly/wypq50Z1syL



Nicole Gurran, Caitlin Buckle, Laurence Troy, Dr Zahra Nasreen, Laura Crommelin, Peter Phibbs, Pranita Shrestha, Declan Redmond, Jason Harrison