Sydney’s spring market is giving owners a clearer message: choice is building for buyers, but the latest auction result needs to be read in the context of the long weekend.
At the same time, a confirmed NSW tenancy change now affects how a pet request can be handled at the start of a new tenancy. The common thread is practical rather than predictive—owners need current campaign evidence and a documented management process.
Sydney listings rose to 39,068 in September
SQM Research reported 39,068 residential properties listed for sale in Sydney during September, up 2.0% over the month and 19.3% from a year earlier.
Fresh listings increased 10.2% during the month as the spring season gathered pace, but remained 9.4% below September 2025. At the same time, older listings rose 6.3% during September and were 28.3% higher than a year ago.
That combination matters. Total stock is materially higher even though fewer new listings came to market than a year ago. For sellers, it points to slower absorption and more buyer choice rather than a simple surge in new vendors. Comparable sales, competing stock, inspection quality and written offers should therefore guide the campaign—not the season alone.
The long-weekend auction result was final, but the volume was unusually low
Cotality’s final result for the week ended 4 October recorded a 49.3% clearance rate across 299 Sydney auctions. The clearance rate rose 0.9 percentage points from 48.4% in the previous week, while auction volume fell 61.4% from 774 because of the long weekend.
For the week ending 11 October, 720 Sydney auctions were scheduled. That is a large rebound from the holiday-affected week, but still 7.0% below the 774 auctions held in the week before the holiday and 27.1% below the comparable week a year earlier.
The 49.3% figure is a final result, but 299 auctions are not a normal spring sample. Owners should compare the post-holiday result with both the week before the break and the same period last year before drawing a broader conclusion.
New pet-at-move-in rules are now in force
From 2 October 2026, a tenant moving into a new NSW rental with a pet may apply for consent within seven days after entering the tenancy agreement and keep the pet at the property while waiting for the landlord’s written response.
The landlord still has 21 days to respond using the approved process and may refuse only on grounds permitted by the Residential Tenancies Act. If no response is given within 21 days, consent is taken to have been given without conditions. If consent is refused, the pet may remain for 21 days after the tenant receives the response; a timely Tribunal application can extend that protection while the challenge is considered.
For owners and agents, the practical requirement is a time-stamped workflow: receive the approved application, check that all co-tenants have applied jointly, assess only the permitted grounds, document the reasons and issue the approved written response before the deadline.
Rates and rents still need property-level checks
The RBA cash rate target remains 4.60%, effective 30 September, with the next monetary policy update due on 3 November. The SQM Research figure cited in this edition is Sydney’s August vacancy rate of 1.7%. Separately, Domain’s September 2026 Rental Report records a Sydney vacancy rate of 1.2%, with September-quarter median asking rents of $835 per week for houses, down 0.6% ($5), and $780 for units, unchanged. The vacancy figures come from different providers and periods and should not be read as a month-to-month change.
These figures should not be used in isolation. Owners should check their lender’s actual rate and timing, while landlords should compare direct competing listings, enquiry quality, days on market and the cost of a vacancy against any proposed rent.
Owner Takeaway
Sydney sellers are competing with 19.3% more total listings than a year ago, so campaign decisions should be anchored to current buyer evidence and the growth in older stock. Treat the 49.3% long-weekend auction result cautiously because only 299 auctions were held. For landlords, update new-tenancy pet procedures now: record the seven-day application window, the 21-day response deadline and the permitted grounds for any refusal. Investors should continue to test cash flow at the lender's actual rate rather than relying on the cash-rate headline alone.
