Packed inspections, skyrocketing rents and a fear of price hikes are leaving renters intimidated as vacancy rates plummet to record lows, a report shows.

The median cost to put a roof over your head in a capital city has surged 44 per cent in five years to top $700 per week for the first time, Cotality (formerly Corelogic) says in its Quarterly Rental Review.

And rentals are harder than ever to find with only 1.47 per cent, or roughly one in every 68 properties, available to lease - less than half the pre-COVID average.

Limited listings and packed inspections are pressuring renters to apply for unsuitable properties, or to outbid to get their foot in the door, Tenants' Union of NSW's Leo Patterson Ross said.

"With these large groups trying to inspect the same place, it's very intimidat

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