Landlord’s Market as Property Investor Lending Swells

A landlord’s market has helped property investor lending swell in value by more than a third in the past 12 months. Figures compiled by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show investor lending was up 5.4 percent in July to $11.7 billion (US$7.88 billion), closing in on a record high of $11.8 billion (US$7.95 billion) reached in January 2022. Lending by those planning to live in the home rose by a smaller 2.9 percent to $18.9 billion (US$12.73 billion). The bureau’s head of finance statistics Mish Tan said higher investor activity was mostly driven by more loan approvals, not rising house prices. “Investors have continued to see the largest growth in new loans over the past year, increasing more than a third in value since July 2023 from $8.6 billion (US$5.8 billion) to $11.7 billion,” she said....