Overcrowding, structural issues: suburbs with worst housing exposed

Pockets of Sydney and Melbourne have been revealed to have the worst housing in the country, with thousands of properties plagued by defects, overcrowding and structural problems.

Many of the areas flagged as having the worst property issues in a sweeping national study of housing conditions were home to a large concentration of high-density apartments or recently constructed medium density.

The research from iSelect analysed SA4 regions across 21 factors, including housing conditions, climate, population health, and access to healthcare.

The aim was to highlight the suburbs where residents are most at risk from poor-quality homes.

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The results showed Sydney and Melbourne had the worst structural issues and overcrowding problems, which although not affecting the majority of housing, were more common than the national average.

iSelect’s Sophie Ryan said some of Australia’s largest housing markets were facing “real housing challenges”.

“Issues such as cracks in walls, sinking foundations and plumbing problems were common, placing additional strain on residents,” she said. “These housing problems don’t just affect comfort, they could also lead to serious health impacts.”

At the top of the list is Parramatta, where 11.8 per cent of homes have structural problems, including 4.8 per cent with major cracks and 3.5 per cent with sinking or moving foundations.

Overcrowding was reported to affect 10 per cent of Parramatta homes, giving the area the worst housing condition score in the country.

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Housing within inner Sydney also had frequent overcrowding issues.

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“Overcrowding has been linked to higher rates of stress and poorer overall physical and mental health in children and adults,” Ms Ryan said.

Inner southwest Sydney and southwest Sydney showed similar housing problems, with high rates of plumbing issues and other structural defects.

Central Sydney areas such as the inner west and CBD and inner south had some of the worst problems with overcrowding, revealing poor housing conditions were not confined to middle- or outer-ring suburbs.

Melbourne also featured prominently, with the South East, North West, and West showing slightly different problems, but still ranking within the top 10 areas with the worst housing conditions.

These areas had fewer cracked walls or floors but had high rates of other structural issues and persistent overcrowding, the study showed.

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Some areas with a high rate of new housing construction had more frequent property issues, according to iSelect.

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Other Sydney regions, including Blacktown and Ryde, rounded out the top 10.

“Being informed about local housing conditions is important because it helps residents understand potential risks, plan for maintenance or repairs, and make decisions that protect their homes and families,” Ms Ryan said.

Australia’s regions with the strongest housing conditions were clustered in Western Australia.

Mandurah topped the list, with smaller numbers of homes affected by structural problems, major cracks or overcrowding.

Other areas in and around the WA capital, including southwest Perth, Bunbury, and northwest Perth, show similarly strong results, with very low rates of foundation issues and plumbing problems.

More remote regions, such as the Wheat Belt and parts of the WA outback maintained good housing standards compared with the national average.

Inner and southeast Perth also ranked among the top 10 areas with the highest quality housing.

REGIONS WITH THE WORST HOUSING CONDITIONS IN AUSTRALIA:

Parramatta

Inner South West Sydney

South West Sydney

Inner West Sydney

City and Inner South Sydney

South East Melbourne

North West Melbourne

Melbourne-West

Blacktown (Sydney)

Ryde (Sydney)

Source: iSelect