Essential workers can barely find an affordable home to rent while investors flock to the property market.

Lower interest rates and higher rents have boosted bank lending to investors.

Its at its highest share of new loans since 2017 in a report on Thursday by property data firm PropTrack, sponsored by landlord insurer Terri Scheer.

Hopeful first home-buyers can access five per cent mortgage deposits, but some warn the scheme will also push up prices and saddle them with larger debts.

Rents for tenants and yields for landlords have both risen as vacancy rates remain low.

Increasing rents have also further strained housing affordability, with essential workers able to afford only a slither of listed dwellings.

Anglicare Australia's latest rental affordability snapshot on Thursday show

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