The 5 biggest rental lifestyle trends shaping where Australians
Lifestyle features are playing a bigger role in Australia’s rental market. Across many suburbs, rental listings increasingly highlight amenities such as:
- Pet-friendly options
- Pools
- On-site gyms
- Tennis courts
However, it is important to note:
this analysis reflects what is advertised in rental listings, not what renters definitively demand or pay more for.
In many cases, high rankings are driven by the type of housing stock in the suburb – particularly high-density apartment precincts where amenities are built into the building design.
Key Lifestyle Features in Australian Rentals (2025)
Figure 1: How common are lifestyle features in rental listings?
| Lifestyle Feature | Approx. Share of Rental Listings |
| Pet-friendly | ~1 in 5 listings |
| Pool | ~1 in 7 listings |
| Gym | ~1 in 10 listings |
| Tennis court | <1 in 100 listings |
Interpretation:
Pools and gyms are becoming mainstream in high-rise apartment precincts. Tennis courts remain extremely rare.
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1. Pet-Friendly Rentals: Where “Pet-Friendly” Is Most Often Advertised
Pets are becoming increasingly common in rental households. Around one in five listings advertise pet-friendly features.
But these rankings are influenced by both housing stock and state tenancy laws, which affect how often landlords explicitly mention pets in advertising.
Table 1: Top 5 suburbs where listings most often advertise “pet-friendly”
| Rank | Australia | NSW | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | ACT |
| 1 | Phillip (Canberra) | Wentworth Point | Melbourne CBD | South Brisbane | Mount Barker | East Perth | Phillip |
| 2 | Wentworth Point | Lane Cove | Footscray | Morayfield | Munno Para West | Baldivis | Braddon |
| 3 | South Brisbane | Orange (Regional) | Wallan | Yarrabilba | Adelaide | Perth CBD | Belconnen |
| 4 | Braddon | Zetland | Pakenham | Maroochydore | Morphett Vale | Mandurah | Kingston |
| 5 | Belconnen | Surry Hills | Point Cook | Southport | Davoren Park | Armadale | Gungahlin |
What stands out:
Canberra takes 3 of the top 5 national spots, led by Phillip and Braddon.
Key takeaway
High “pet-friendly” rankings do not always mean pets are more accepted – they often mean landlords are more likely to market pet approval upfront.
Important context: tenancy laws matter
In Victoria and Queensland, landlords can only refuse pets for valid reasons. As a result, “pet-friendly” may be less frequently advertised, even if renters are more likely to gain approval.
2. Pool Rentals: The Rise of “Resort-Style” Apartment Living
Pools are featured in around one in seven rental listings nationally.
Unlike pet-friendly listings, pool rankings are heavily shaped by apartment density and newer developments.
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Table 2: Top 5 suburbs with the highest share of pool listings
| Rank | Australia | NSW | VIC | QLD | WA | ACT |
| 1 | Melbourne CBD | Sydney CBD | Melbourne CBD | Surfers Paradise | Perth CBD | Phillip |
| 2 | Southbank | Chippendale | Southbank | Brisbane City | East Perth | Belconnen |
| 3 | Sydney CBD | Zetland | Docklands | South Brisbane | Rivervale | City |
| 4 | Docklands | Macquarie Park | South Yarra | Southport | South Perth | Gungahlin (tied) |
| 5 | Surfers Paradise | Waterloo | Footscray | Fortitude Valley | West Perth | Greenway (tied) |
Key takeaway
Victoria dominates pool rankings because Melbourne has a large volume of high-density precincts built with shared amenities.
In Melbourne CBD, Southbank and Docklands, pools are no longer luxury inclusions – they are increasingly standard.
3. Gym Listings: Fitness as a Built-In Expectation
Gym access appears in almost one in ten rental listings.
Once again, Melbourne CBD-style apartment suburbs dominate, reflecting the fact that gyms are now a standard feature in modern towers.
Table 3: Top 5 suburbs with the highest share of gym listings
| Rank | Australia | NSW | VIC | QLD | WA | ACT |
| 1 | Melbourne CBD | Sydney CBD | Melbourne CBD | Brisbane City | Perth CBD | Phillip |
| 2 | Southbank | Chippendale | Southbank | South Brisbane | East Perth | City |
| 3 | Sydney CBD | Zetland | Docklands | Surfers Paradise | Rivervale | Belconnen |
| 4 | Docklands | Macquarie Park | South Yarra | Fortitude Valley | West Perth | Braddon |
| 5 | Chippendale | Waterloo | Footscray | Newstead | Subiaco | Kingston |
Key takeaway
The gym rankings closely mirror pool rankings.
This indicates a clear market trend:
Amenities are being bundled into buildings, not added as optional extras.
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4. Tennis Courts: The Rarest Lifestyle Feature in Rentals
Tennis courts are extremely uncommon, appearing in fewer than 1% of listings.
Unlike pools and gyms, tennis courts require significant land and maintenance, making them rare in high-density developments.
Table 4: Top 5 suburbs with the highest share of tennis-court listings
| Rank | Australia | NSW | VIC |
| 1 | Southbank (Melbourne) | Homebush West | Southbank |
| 2 | Surfers Paradise | Rouse Hill | Melbourne CBD |
| 3 | Melbourne CBD | Wentworth Point | South Melbourne |
| 4 | Homebush West | Chiswick | South Yarra |
| 5 | Rouse Hill | Epping | Docklands |
(Other states excluded due to low listing volumes.)
Key takeaway
Tennis court rentals are not a mainstream amenity category – they are a niche feature tied to specific property types and locations.
Tennis courts are more common in:
- premium estates
- larger land parcels
- older residential complexes
What This Data Really Shows (and What It Doesn’t)
What this analysis shows clearly
- Amenity-rich suburbs are concentrated in high-density apartment precincts.
- Melbourne dominates pools and gyms because its CBD fringe has a high share of modern towers.
- Pet-friendly rankings are heavily influenced by state tenancy laws and advertising behaviour.
- Tennis courts remain rare due to land constraints.
What this analysis cannot confirm
This dataset does not prove:
- renters are paying higher rents for these features
- vacancy is lower in these suburbs
- renters prefer these suburbs purely because of lifestyle amenities
This report is best interpreted as:
A map of where lifestyle features are most often marketed in rental listings.
The Big Picture: What This Says About Renting in Australia (2026)
Despite limitations, the pattern is clear:
1. Lifestyle is becoming part of the “core rental product”
Renters are no longer just comparing:
- bedrooms
- bathrooms
- location
They are comparing:
- pet acceptance
- fitness access
- outdoor leisure options
- building quality and shared facilities
2. Buildings are becoming lifestyle ecosystems
Modern apartment developments are now designed to compete on:
- convenience
- wellness
- community spaces
- shared amenities
In many suburbs, lifestyle is no longer “outside the home” – it is built into the property.
3. State regulation affects what appears in the data
Especially for pets, the rankings reflect:
- tenancy rules
- landlord incentives
- listing language patterns
This means the visibility of a feature is not always the same as its real availability.
Conclusion
Australia’s rental market is shifting toward lifestyle-led housing, particularly in high-density precincts.
Pools and gyms are increasingly standard in newer apartment developments, while tennis courts remain rare due to space constraints. Pet-friendly listings are rising, but rankings are influenced by tenancy law and advertising behaviour.
The strongest signal is clear:
Lifestyle features are becoming part of the rental baseline – and rental competition is increasingly happening at the amenity level.
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