The Australia-wide rental crisis has hit Dubbo hard, with average rents increasing by up to almost 15 per cent last year.

Housing NSW figures show that rental accommodation in four categories (one, two, three, and four-bedroom properties) have now all increased to record highs, Dubbo Property Manager and Committee Member of the real estate Institute on NSW (REINSW – Orana Division) Fiona Gibbs said.

“The biggest increase in the year to December is for one bedrooms, rising by 14.2 per cent to a record high of $320 per week," Ms Gibbs said.

"Four bedrooms increased by 12.2 per cent to a record $550 per week, the two-bedroom median rent is $330 per week, and three bedrooms, $430 per week,” she added.

She said that the rental increases are putting an extra financial strain on people from low-income households.

“Pressure in the rental market for tenants continues in the one- and two-bedroom categories, which require a household income of approximately $49,000 for one-bedroom and $51,000 for two-bedrooms to qualify for tenancy, placing these rents well above the capacity of many prospective tenants,” she said

Ms Gibbs said that Dubbo was outstripping many other country towns in both actual rent and annualised weekly accommodation increases with the median one-bedroom rent in Dubbo at $320 per week, well exceeding those of Bathurst at $283 per week, Tamworth at $250 per week, Wagga Wagga at $265 per week, and Albury at $250 per week.

Rents have increased in all regional centres across all categories for the year to December.

The level of increases was up 19 per cent in Albury, 17.7 per cent in Wagga Wagga for one-bedrooms, 17.8 per cent for four-bedrooms in Tamworth, 20.3 per cent for a one-bedroom in Orange, and 8.6 per cent for a one-bedroom in Bathurst.

This indicates residential rents are continuing to impact the cost of living pressures in regional NSW, reflecting an under-supply of rental accommodation.