Hopetoun and Ravensthorpe boast idyllic coastal and bush-retreat lifestyles – but if you’re on the hunt for a rental property, you might be out of luck.

According to new statistics from Rent Rabbit – the vacancy rate in Hopetoun has shrunk from 5.2% a year ago, to 0% now – meaning no available rental stays on the market for more than 21 days.

Ravensthorpe Shire President Keith Dunlop told Perth LIVE, it’s becoming a serious problem.

“There’s just no rentals,” he told Oliver Peterson.

“And I was talking to the real estate guy, and he said ‘if you give me 20 rentals, I could fill them up tomorrow’.

“You can just about get $400 for anything, and now up to $500 which is unbelievable in a small town like Hopetoun, and Ravensthorpe.

“But it’s just demand – you can’t get it so you’ve got to pay it – the owners can just about charge what they want to now.”

The Shire President puts the skyrocketing demand down to sea and tree-changers – and a wave of people wanting to capitalise on the hot-red domestic holiday market – with interest coming from around the country.

“We find with the shire, we haven’t got enough houses to go around for workers and contractors, and anyone who wants to come, it makes it really hard,” he said.

“We’re sort of having a bit of a battle at the moment, because we’re building a precinct down in Ravensthorpe – a big building, and finding it hard to find any accommodation.”

Press PLAY to hear Keith Dunlop’s full interview with Oliver Peterson