HIGH Wycombe saw some of the strongest growth in weekly house rent and sale prices in January, according to the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA).

REIWA data showed High Wycombe’s median weekly house rent price grew 3.1 per cent to $750, while its median house sale price rose 1.3 per cent to $778,000.

Brabham and Ballajura were also among the fastest-selling suburbs in Perth during January, with houses in Brabham selling in a median of five days and Ballajura in six days.

The median dwelling rent across Perth rose to $720 per week in January, 2.9 per cent higher than December 2025 and 7.5 per cent higher than the same time last year.

The median weekly rent for houses rose to $725, a 3.6 per cent increase over the month, while the median weekly rent for units rose to $690, up 1.5 per cent.

REIWA president Suzanne Brown said it was fairly common to see strong shifts in rent prices in January, but it was a timely reminder about the state of the rental market.

“The WA rental market experienced several years of crisis conditions following a mass exodus of investors after the lifting of the COVID rental moratoriums in 2021,” she said.

“Our modelling shows nearly 20,000 properties, or 8.4 per cent of rental stock, were removed from the market.

“The rental market has shown some improvement over the past 18 months however we are not out of the woods.

“We cannot afford to be complacent about actions that might lead to another decline in supply and negatively affect the delicate state of the rental market.

“We know another review of the Residential Tenancies Act is coming up, and there are again growing calls for removing no grounds terminations.

“We also know investors are sensitive to legislative change and are capable of leaving the market if they feel conditions are unfavourable.”

Perth’s median house sale price reached a new record of $855,000 in January, a 1.8 per cent increase on December and 13.2 per cent higher than a year ago.

The median unit sale price also rose 17.6 per cent over the year to a record $600,000.

Ms Brown said this week’s interest rate rise was not expected to significantly slow price growth, with the market continuing to be driven by the ongoing imbalance between supply and demand.

Listings for sale across Perth rose to 2444 in January, following the record low of 1881 at the end of December 2025, though this was still 50 per cent lower than January 2025.