Property Intelligence
110 Intelligence pieces published
APF Intelligence publishes original market analysis covering Australian residential property, investment strategy, interest rates, and housing policy. Reports are written using RBA cash rate decisions and minutes, ABS dwelling and lending statistics, CoreLogic Home Value Indices, SQM Research vacancy data, and weekend auction clearance rate feeds from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra. Each piece is datestamped, sourced, and written in plain English without spruiker tone or vendor bias.
Coverage is organised into five streams: RBA & Macro for monetary policy and economy-wide signals; Sydney & Melbourne for the two largest capital city markets; National Property for cross-capital and regional trends; Property Finance for mortgage strategy, LVR and serviceability analysis; and Property Insurance for landlord and building cover. Use the category filters to focus on the topics most relevant to your situation, whether you're a first home buyer timing your entry, an investor rebalancing a portfolio, or simply tracking where the market is heading this cycle. New Intelligence is published only after verification.
Building and landlord insurance trends, premium movements, and coverage considerations.
Property InsuranceChina Leads $4.7bn Foreign Investment in Australian Housing Despite Ban
Treasury data shows $4.7 billion in approved foreign residential investment in 2025-26, with Chinese buyers dominant — but the shift toward new-build purchases and permanent-residency buyers raises fresh landlord insurance and strata insurance questions for a changing ownership mix.
24 Oct 2026
landlord insurancestrata insurance
Property InsuranceJudge Judy's $A18.8m Greenwich Mansion: Purchase, Demolition and Rebuild
The $18m Greenwich mansion owned by Judge Judy's Judith Sheindlin highlights a growing problem for Australian high-value homeowners: standard building insurance rarely covers the true rebuild cost of architecturally significant or extensively renovated properties.
23 Oct 2026
landlord insurancebuilding insurance
Property Insurance$4 Duct Tape Cuts Flood Water Leakage by Up to 98 Per Cent: Study
University of Hull laboratory tests found ordinary duct tape reduced water leakage through doors by 97–98 per cent, outperforming sandbags. Researchers stress it is a temporary measure, not a substitute for professional flood protection.
22 Oct 2026
landlord insuranceflood insurance
Property InsuranceForklift Mechanic Sells Rebuilt Bundeena Beachside Home After Fire, Health Scares
A forklift mechanic's beachside rebuild after losing his home to fire highlights how underinsurance and slow claims processes leave Australian property owners exposed when disaster strikes.
21 Oct 2026
landlord insurancebuilding insurance
Property InsuranceRebuilt Woolloongabba Home on Fire-Ravaged Block Hits Market Amid Tight Supply
A new home built on a fire-ravaged Woolloongabba block has hit the market amid tight Brisbane supply, highlighting how building insurance and rebuild costs shape outcomes after a total loss.
19 Oct 2026
building insuranceWoolloongabba
Property InsuranceFire-Damaged Merrylands Home Draws Six Bidders, Sells Above Expectations
A boarded-up, fire-ravaged western Sydney home sold above reserve with buyers unable to inspect inside, exposing gaps in how building insurance, disclosure and auction risk intersect.
18 Oct 2026
building insurancefire damage
Property InsuranceQuilpie Offers $20k Cash as Couple Buys $150k Church to Escape City Prices
Quilpie Shire's offer of $20,000 cash and a $150,000 church conversion to attract new residents highlights an overlooked cost of regional relocation: building insurance on converted and unconventional dwellings can carry steep premiums and exclusions city buyers rarely encounter.
16 Oct 2026
landlord insurancebuilding insurance
Property Insurance118 Premium Australian Suburbs Become More Affordable as Prices Fall
As 118 premium Australian suburbs become more affordable, landlords buying into these markets face a fresh calculation: rebuild costs, rental damage risk and insurance premiums that don't track median prices downward.
15 Oct 2026
landlord insurancepremium suburbs
Property Insurance'Mood of Concern': Aussies Delay Property Plans Amid Rate Fears
Standard landlord and home insurance policies often exclude short-stay letting entirely, leaving Airbnb and Stayz hosts exposed to denied claims over liability, contents damage and lost rental income.
14 Oct 2026
landlord insuranceAirbnb insurance
Property InsuranceNSW Renter's Light Dispute Sparks Debate Over Strata's Powers
A Sydney renter's complaint about a neighbour's all-night light has exposed how strata schemes and their insurance policies struggle to cover nuisance disputes between owners and occupants.
13 Oct 2026
strata insurancebody corporate
Property InsuranceThe Pocket House Signal: Construction Costs Have Reset Higher
Construction costs have risen sharply in recent years, leaving many Australian homeowners and landlords with sum-insured levels that no longer reflect the true cost of rebuilding, creating a quiet underinsurance problem.
12 Oct 2026
landlord insurancebuilding insurance
Property InsuranceNSW Tenant Finds Gaping Wall Hole Hidden Behind Mirror by Landlord
A viral case of a landlord allegedly papering over a gaping wall hole with a mirror has put landlord insurance disclosure obligations and building condition cover under scrutiny.
9 Oct 2026
landlord insurancerental property
Property Insurance193 Australian Suburbs Still Have Houses Under $500,000
Construction cost inflation since 2021 has left many Australian homeowners with building sums insured that no longer match true rebuild costs, creating a hidden underinsurance gap that only surfaces after a total loss.
7 Oct 2026
landlord insurancebuilding insurance
Property InsuranceFlood-Prone Brisbane Suburb Rocklea Draws Buyers Chasing Sub-$1m Homes
Priced-out Brisbane buyers are chasing sub-$1m homes in a flood-prone suburb, but cheap entry prices often mask steep flood insurance premiums and excess costs that can add thousands to annual holding costs.
5 Oct 2026
flood insuranceBrisbane property
Property InsuranceBellevue Heights, Mawson Lakes Among SA's Worst Housing Supply Black Spots
Strata insurance is compulsory for most owners corporations but routinely misunderstood, leaving unit owners exposed on contents, betterment and common property disputes. Here's what the policy actually covers and where owners still need their own cover.
3 Oct 2026
strata insurancebody corporate
Property Insurance$33k Refund Exposes Junk Insurance Buried in Home Loans
An aged care worker recovered $33,000 after discovering a junk insurance policy quietly attached to a home loan taken out more than a decade ago, exposing a wider problem with add-on cover bundled into Australian mortgages.
2 Oct 2026
junk insurancemortgage refund
Property InsuranceChris Brown Granted New Trial Over $18m Dog Attack Payout
Standard home and contents insurance does not cover tenant-related risks. Landlord insurance fills that gap, and understanding the difference is essential before any Australian investment property is let out.
1 Oct 2026
landlord insurancehome and contents insurance
Property InsuranceChinese Buyers Pour $5bn Into Homes: Insurance Gaps Loom
A fresh $5 billion wave of China-based buyer interest in Australian homes is reshaping demand in a new top-ranked capital city, but overseas owners and investors face landlord insurance blind spots that domestic buyers rarely confront.
30 Sept 2026
landlord insuranceforeign investment
Property InsuranceArchitect's Black Summer Escape Inspires $75k Fireproof Flatpack Home
A Black Summer bushfire survivor has designed a $75,000 fireproof flatpack home that ships on a ute, raising fresh questions about how insurers price fire risk for Australian properties.
28 Sept 2026
bushfire insurancelandlord insurance
Property InsuranceBrisbane's Most-Clicked Street Sits in a Flood Zone
Brisbane's most searched property street sits on a flood-prone road where homes trade under $1 million, raising questions about flood insurance costs and disclosure that buyers routinely overlook.
27 Sept 2026
flood insuranceBrisbane property
Property InsuranceCyclone Jasper Wrecks Five-Year Reno, Forces Cairns Home Auction
A five-year custom renovation destroyed by a freak flood has forced an owner to auction the property, highlighting how flood and cyclone damage exposes gaps in standard building insurance across Australia.
26 Sept 2026
flood insurancelandlord insurance
Property InsuranceQueenscliff Waterfront Estate Back on Market After Asbestos Clean-Up
A remediated Queenscliff development returning to market after an asbestos clean-up is a reminder that property risk disclosure and insurance definitions matter — and few distinctions matter more for Australian homeowners than flood versus storm versus stormwater damage.
24 Sept 2026
landlord insuranceflood insurance
Property InsuranceLandlord Faces Insurance Delays After Second Fire in Renovated Home
A landlord whose rental was torched twice within days of repair has laid bare how landlord insurance policies handle repeat malicious damage claims, waiting periods and vacancy clauses.
23 Sept 2026
landlord insurancefire damage
Property InsuranceHousing Authority Director Ousted After Using Agency Funds for Bathroom Reno
Construction cost inflation has quietly eroded the accuracy of building sum-insured figures across Australia, leaving many homeowners exposed to a shortfall if they ever need to make a full rebuild claim.
22 Sept 2026
landlord insurancebuilding insurance