Renters would have had thousands extra to spend on the holiday season if rents had been frozen in place for the past 12 months.

The Greens have been calling for a nationwide two-year rent freeze to protect renters from surging housing costs.

New Parliamentary Library analysis of the policy found the average renter was paying $4896 more for their home than last year, revealing the toll of rising rents on household budgets.

In Sydney, where rents have accelerated the fastest, the average renter would be $7450 better off if rents had stayed the same since December last year.

With rental affordability plummeting across the country, the Greens called on the federal government to put a nationwide rental freeze on the agenda at Wednesday’s national cabinet meeting.

The party also wants an end to no-grounds evictions and minimum standards for rental properties discussed at the meeting of federal and state political leaders

Greens spokesperson for Housing Max Chandler-Mather said Australians needed protection from the worst rental crisis in recent history.

“Over the last 12 months, renters paid an extra $10 billion in rent, while property investors pocketed $8.5 billion in federal tax concessions, which is desperately unfair and a reminder that right now politics really only works for the rich,” he said.

Poppy Johnston
(Australian Associated Press)