RENTER groups urged the government today to act for rental affordability as official data revealed that most landlords hiked rates on new tenancy agreements this year.

A survey by the government found that 58 per cent of landlords increased the rent the last time they let to new tenants, with 35 per cent increasing it by 15 per cent or more.

The survey also showed that the proportion of landlords increasing rent on existing tenants when renewing contracts had doubled since 2021 to reach 52 per cent.