Lending to investors has lifted by more than a fifth over the past year, according to data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The figures show that the value of new housing loans to investors rose 1.2% in February 2024.
ABS head of finance statistics Mish Tan noted that it is 21.5% higher than a year ago.
“This made up over half of the growth in total new loan commitments over the past year”, she added.
First home buyers are also returning in strength, with the number of loans to this sector rising 4.3% in February to be 13.2% higher compared to a year ago. The value of lending to owner-occupier first home buyers was 20.7% higher over the same period.
The value of new owner-occupier loans rose 1.6% in February 2024, 9.1% higher compared with a year ago.
Around the country, lending rose in NSW (up 3.4%), Victoria (0.04%), Queensland (7.4%), Tasmania (9.4%) and the NT (4.1%). Falls were recorded in South Australia (1%) and WA (6.4%).
