23 August 2023 | See disclaimer
From organising boxes to getting rid of clutter, moving house can be a stressful but rewarding experience.
To better understand how everyday renters and homeowners feel about the moving process, we surveyed over 1,000 Australians aged 18+ on their experiences. So if you’re interested in getting an insight into the latest trends surrounding moving home in Australia, check out our analysis below.
Quick Stats
- Younger respondents are more likely to have moved in the past year or plan to move in the coming year, including heading interstate.
- Almost a third of those surveyed who moved in the past 12 months moved interstate, with Western Australia being the most popular destination for respondents.
- More than a quarter of respondents who moved in the past year didn’t have insurance and don’t plan on getting insurance in their new place.
- Moving house has become slightly more stressful for respondents over the past two years, but not so much for South Australia, where a quarter of respondents didn’t find moving stressful.
Australian Moving Home Statistics
In the 2019-20 financial year, more than 40% of Australian households surveyed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics said they’d moved at least once in the past five years. Meanwhile, one in five households surveyed said they’d lived in the same house for 20 years or more.
The most common reason that one in five respondents said they moved house in 2019-20 was because they’d purchased their own home. [1]
Time Spent in Home
Nearly 12% of all respondents said they had moved house at least once in the last 12 months.
Meanwhile, 22% of respondents in 2019-20 said they wouldn't move because it was too much effort. This was up from 2007-08, where just 16% said the level of effort was their reason for not moving. [1]
Impacts of Covid-19
Whether it was internal or interstate, pandemic-related lockdowns and border closures impacted the number of people who moved house during this time.
In the peak of the pandemic when many Australians were stuck in their homes, the number of people who moved interstate fell from 404,000 in June 2019 to 345,000 in December 2020.
In 2021, interstate migration in Australia spiked to 104,000 for the March quarter. The number of people leaving Victoria to relocate accounted for nearly a quarter of this increase.
People moving around within their own state are also back on the rise with more people in capital cities moving to the regions in the aftermath of the pandemic.
In June 2020, there were 228,531 capital city residents moving to the regions, which then increased to 243,750 in March 2021. [2]
In our Budget Direct Moving Home Survey and Statistics 2021 report, we found that roughly 36% of respondents who had moved in the past 12 months, did so because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Moving Home Survey Results
Have you moved home within the last 12 months?^
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%.
One in five Australians who were surveyed said they had moved home within the past 12 months. This is slightly higher than the ABS data where only 12% said they had moved in the past 12 months in 2019-20. [1]
This result was similar to what was found in 2021’s survey results where 19.8% said they had moved in the past 12 months.
Younger respondents were more likely to have moved more recently, with 38% of those aged 18 to 27 and 28.8% of those aged 28 to 37 saying they had moved in the past 12 months.
Meanwhile, Western Australians were the least likely to have moved with 84.6% saying they’d been in the same home for the past 12 months.
Did your move within the last 12 months involve moving to a new state?^*
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%.
*Only respondents who said they moved in the past 12 months answered this question.
Almost one-third of those surveyed who said they moved in the past 12 months reported that it was an interstate move.
Those aged 18 to 27 who were surveyed were the most likely to move further away with almost half saying their move was to a new state.
Meanwhile, Western Australia seemed to be the most popular destination for respondents to move to with 37.5% of those surveyed who now listed their location as Western Australia saying they had moved interstate in the past year.
This is a change from our Moving Home Survey and Statistics 2021 results which saw the majority of respondents heading to South Australia two years ago.
The number of people who moved interstate according to 2021’s survey results was also slightly higher than in 2023. This falls in line with ABS data that saw a spike in interstate migration in the March 2021 quarter. [2]
Which statement best describes your home/contents insurance when you last moved?^*
| I carried my existing policy to my new home | 35.47% |
| I didn't have any insurance, and I still don't | 28.08% |
| I didn't have a policy in my old home, but I have one in my new home | 14.78% |
| I had a policy in my old home, but I found a new insurer when I moved | 15.27% |
| I had a policy in my old home but I cancelled it | 6.40% |
| Male | Female | |
| I carried my existing policy to my new home | 43.00% | 28.16% |
| I didn't have any insurance, and I still don't | 24.00% | 32.04% |
| I didn't have a policy in my old home, but I have one in my new home | 15.00% | 14.56% |
| I had a policy in my old home, but I found a new insurer when I moved | 13.00% | 17.48% |
| I had a policy in my old home but I cancelled it | 5.00% | 7.77% |
18-27 |
28-37 |
38-47 |
48-57 |
58-67 |
68-77 |
|
I carried my existing policy to my new home |
24.19% |
27.27% |
57.58% |
38.10% |
41.18% |
63.64% |
I didn't have any insurance, and I still don't |
48.39% |
20.00% |
24.24% |
14.29% |
11.76% |
18.18% |
I didn't have a policy in my old home, but I have one in my new home |
17.74% |
23.64% |
3.03% |
9.52% |
11.76% |
0.00% |
I had a policy in my old home, but I found a new insurer when I moved |
6.45% |
20.00% |
15.15% |
19.05% |
23.53% |
18.18% |
I had a policy in my old home but I cancelled it |
3.23% |
9.09% |
0.00% |
19.05% |
11.76% |
0.00% |
NSW |
Vic |
Qld |
SA |
WA |
|
I carried my existing policy to my new home |
27.54% |
46.30% |
37.50% |
38.46% |
31.25% |
I didn't have any insurance, and I still don't |
33.33% |
22.22% |
22.50% |
23.08% |
43.75% |
I didn't have a policy in my old home, but I have one in my new home |
15.94% |
16.67% |
17.50% |
7.69% |
6.25% |
I had a policy in my old home, but I found a new insurer when I moved |
15.94% |
11.11% |
15.00% |
23.08% |
12.50% |
I had a policy in my old home but I cancelled it |
7.25% |
3.70% |
7.50% |
7.69% |
6.25% |
2021 |
2023 |
|
I carried my existing policy to my new home |
30.5% |
35.5% |
I didn't have any insurance, and I still don't |
27% |
28.1% |
I didn't have a policy in my old home, but I have one in my new home |
15.5% |
14.8% |
I had a policy in my old home, but I found a new insurer when I moved |
15% |
15.3% |
I had a policy in my old home but I cancelled it |
12% |
6.4% |
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%.
*Only respondents who said they moved in the past 12 months answered this question.
The majority of those surveyed who moved in the past 12 months said they carried their existing policy to their new home.
Interestingly, 28% of those surveyed who moved within the past year said they didn’t have insurance before and they still don’t.
Women who were surveyed were more likely to have found a new insurer when they moved with 17.5% saying they changed providers compared to 13% of male respondents.
Meanwhile, almost half of those aged 18 to 27 who were surveyed said they didn’t have insurance before their move and they continue to not have it now.
In 2021, there were 12% of respondents who said they had a policy but cancelled it when they moved. This number dropped to just 6.4% of respondents in 2023’s survey.
Did you feel like you had too many belongings when you last moved?^*
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%.
*Only respondents who said they moved in the past 12 months answered this question.
Almost two-thirds of those surveyed said they felt like they had too many belongings when they moved.
For respondents in the 58 to 67 age range, 76.5% said they felt like they had too many belongings when they moved, compared to just 56.5% of those aged 18 to 27.
Respondents in Western Australia were the least likely to feel bogged down by belongings with 62.5% saying they didn’t feel like they had too many things to move from place to place. This can be compared to Victorian respondents where 70.4% said they felt like they had too many belongings amid their move.
Do you find moving house to be a stressful experience?^
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%.
Moving house has become slightly more stressful for respondents compared to two years ago with 85.3% in 2023 saying it was a stressful process compared to just 79% of respondents in 2021.
South Australia appeared to be the most relaxed state when it comes to moving with almost a quarter of respondents saying moving house wasn’t stressful for them.
Meanwhile, 90% of those aged between 28 and 47 said moving house was a stressful process for them.
If you were to move home, would you move yourself or would you hire a professional moving company? ^
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%.
When moving home, the majority of those surveyed said they would use professional help while also doing parts themselves.
Those aged 68 to 77 who were surveyed were the least likely age group to do the move themselves, while those aged 28 to 37 were the least likely to hire a professional.
Meanwhile, women were more likely to do the move themselves with 29.2% of respondents saying they’d prefer DIY compared to 18.1% of men who were surveyed who had the same response.
New South Wales was the most likely state to hire a professional with 35.1% saying they’d prefer help over doing it themselves. While South Australians were the most likely to choose a DIY move over professional help according to 34.7% of respondents.
Have you had any negative experiences with removalists in the past?^
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%.
A quarter of those surveyed said they have had a negative experience with a removalist in the past.
Issues with removalists were most common in Queensland and New South Wales with a quarter of each state’s respondents saying they’d struggled with moving companies in the past.
Meanwhile, those aged 38 to 47 were the most likely to have issues with removalists according to 33.7% of respondents.
How likely would you be to move in the next 12 months?^
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%.
Most Australians who were surveyed said it would be very unlikely that they would move house in the next 12 months.
Women were slightly more likely to move in the next year with 17.6% saying it was likely compared to 13.4% of men.
Meanwhile, older respondents were much more likely than younger respondents to stay in their homes for the next year with 68.8% of those aged 68 to 77 saying they were very unlikely to move in the next 12 months compared to just 16.6% of those aged 18 to 27.
Key Takeaways
Young People on the Move
Younger respondents were more likely to move house according to the survey, including moving interstate.
Of all the age ranges surveyed, the 18 to 27 cohort of respondents were the most likely to have already moved in the past 12 months and were also the most likely to move again in the coming 12 months.
Meanwhile, almost half of respondents aged 18 to 27 who had moved in the past 12 months said it was an interstate move, which was again the highest percentage of all the age ranges surveyed.
This age group of respondents were also the most likely to say that they didn’t find moving house to be a very stressful experience. They were also the most likely age group to complete their move themselves rather than hiring a professional to help.
Pandemic Impacts Interstate Moves
After the pandemic, an increase of people leaving Victoria resulted in a rise in interstate migration in March 2021. [2]
In 2023, our survey found that people continue to move across borders with a third of respondents who moved in the past 12 months saying it was an interstate move.
Western Australia was the most popular destination for respondents to move to according to survey results. Among other factors, Western Australia could appeal to more travellers now more than ever thanks to the low impact it saw from Covid-19, including having the second lowest mortality rate across the pandemic. [3]
Moving is More Stressful
In the past two years, the moving process has gotten slightly more stressful for respondents with 85.3% saying it was stressful in 2023 compared to 79% of respondents in 2021.
South Australian respondents seemed to be the most relaxed, followed by Queenslanders, while New South Wales and Victorian respondents found it to be the hardest.
Meanwhile, more than a quarter of respondents who moved in the past 12 months didn’t have any insurance and didn’t plan to get any in their new place.
Having the right home insurance cover and a full home inventory list could be key to making the home moving process quick and easy for everyone involved.
