Civic ranks among nation's top 10 for inactive dwellings: Ray White

New analysis from property group Ray White, cited by ABC Canberra on 28 October 2026, ranks Civic among Australia’s top 10 areas for the highest share of inactive dwellings, with 166 homes, or 8.2 per cent of the suburb’s recorded housing stock, counted as inactive.

Why it matters

An 8.2 per cent inactive share is enough to place Civic in the nation’s top 10, a high result for a suburb built largely around apartment towers and government tenancies rather than detached housing. For landlords, body corporates and buyers weighing the precinct, the figure is a direct read on how much of Civic’s existing built stock is sitting unused at any given time, a number that carries more weight than a simple dwelling count when judging rental demand or the case for adding further supply to the area. For a builder weighing new Civic apartments, the count is a reminder that existing stock is not being fully used.

The numbers

Ray White’s analysis found 166 homes in Civic classified as inactive, equal to 8.2 per cent of the suburb’s total recorded dwellings. That share was enough to place Civic among the top 10 areas nationally for inactive dwellings, according to the analysis cited by ABC Canberra. The post did not break down where those 166 homes sit within Civic, nor how the ranking compares suburb by suburb against the rest of the top 10.

What’s next

Neither Ray White’s analysis nor ABC Canberra’s post sets out a proposed remedy, a timeline or a named spokesperson for further comment, so there is no decision to report beyond the figures themselves. The ranking lands as Civic separately works through other change already before decision-makers, including the lakeside stadium proposal still awaiting a call. It also follows the Legislative Assembly’s order, reported on 29 October, giving the ACT Government 60 days to release public housing vacancy, maintenance and spending records after a crossbench motion passed, with 588 public homes vacant. The two sets of figures put empty Canberra homes, private and public, before decision-makers at the same time. They measure different things, though, and should not be added together. Neither post detailed how Ray White classifies a dwelling as inactive.