Recently I ran a post on renting and how I had been screwed over by real estate agents. This prompted a person called ‘Jamie’ to email me about her story. Welcome to the new Australia… a land of missed opportunity and a place where the rich screw the poor. This isn’t a matter of whether to buy or not… I am talking about people who can’t afford to do anything but rent. What about them? Here’s the story of a person who has it a lot worse that I do:
Here is my story on what has happened to us as far as the rental crisis goes….
We had been living in a 4 bedroom house, myself, my mother and my two children, we had been renting it at $250 a week for 4 years. We had a fantastic rental history to the point that we got a certificate from The Professionals Real Estate. No black mark on any of our names.
In February 2007 we found out that the owner wanted to sell his house, apparently it was all about some sort of superannuation thing that he and others would benefit if they sold their house. Well it benefited owners but not renters.
We had 6 weeks to find somewhere, so we started looking thinking we would have no trouble finding somewhere. We were so wrong! We applied for house after house, not only were there many others applying for them but they were incredibly expensive. We would wait and line up to see houses. We would apply but knowing my mother was on a pension, and myself on a pension, that those that had higher incomes were going to get offered first.
It was really bad at one point when we applied for a house and we had no reply and we had to keep ringing them but they just put us off and put us off, then we noticed it was having another showing for people to look at it, we were disgusted, we were perfectly good tennants yet we were not even being looked at.
Then the 6 weeks were up. We had to get out but no where to go… so we rang the real estate and got one weeks extension. The stress at this time was incredible, about to be out on the streets basically with a mother two kids and two cats.
One week later, still no luck so we moved into a friends house, myself, my mother and my two kids as well as the two cats were sharing a 3 bedroom house occupied by two other people and a dog. It was very cramped but we were grateful for a bed to sleep in even if we did have to share with each other.
We lived at the friends house for a month and if it wasn’t for someone we knew breaking their lease on a private rental, we would still be living with a friend I believe.
We finally moved into a new place. A 3 bedroom house with a sunroom for $320 a week (ouch!) During our stay in this house pretty much straight away after moving in my mother fell sick and I do hold the rental crisis responsible, the stress took its toll and she ended up with cancer. She died in November 2007.
I am now paying $320 by myself and may end up out on my ear at some point as the rents are far to harsh for one income let alone for a low income. The only way I can actually stay in Brisbane altogether is by working part time, raising my children, and I study to try and get ahead. A full time income wouldn’t even benefit unless it was a high wage.
I believe there is a solution. I believe that there could be an answer to this even with the Housing Comission having a 9 year waiting list.
The answer is for starters. Just like Premier Beattie said… we should put a toll on entering QLD since so many southerners are moving here and pushing prices up. This also pushes low income earners out of Brisbane, and many would be happy for that but what that means is people who have lived here all their lives have to leave friends and family. This is very say. Myself and my family had to change schools and everything. Which of course, is not good.
The other is instead of buying up houses for housing commission. Housing could actually subsidize rental properties through real estates or private rental, therefore reducing the cost of rent for many. Thanks to Howard there is a long waiting list because he made sure many houses were sold up.
So this is my story.
So where to from here for Brisbane? Where to for Australia? Remember what happened to the French when they screwed over their people? So… what happens next?
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February 6th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
I would just like to add to this, that myself and many are now in a position where basically we cannot afford to eat almost…. I am paying $320 a week… I only get around just over $400 a week, now how are we meant to get by? Many would say, well go for a cheaper house… well there isn’t anything cheaper really. The prices in my area range from $280 - $400 a week. Many would say find another area… but if they looked at their own lives they would find that they would not want to pack their family up and move them out of their schools, jobs, away from friends and family etc. Also some would say, go out and find a better paying job, or a job in general (well I do work part time and study and raise 2 kids on my own) but at the end of the day, how much can one person earn with limited education (why else would I be studying?) Besides the fact that who generally can afford to pay that sort of rent on one income? No one really unless they are single and earning a good wage.
Many judge but do not understand. Centrelink will not raise their rent assistance. The government are not in any rush to improve the housing commission situation of a waiting list of 9 years. So what is a person to do?
July 20th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Hi This is Jamie again, I wanted to share now what we have to put up with now.
As you know my mother passed away last year, and now we have been paying $320 a week since then, struggling to eat, struggling to pay the bills and struggling to stay in the area.
I have recently been informed that our rent is going up in October to $350 a week. As we have been struggling, it is certain that we cannot afford this rent so this is the choice…
1. Either we stay and put ourselves in further trouble financially. As she wants to know now if we are staying or not.
2. We say we will move and put ourselves at risk of not being able to secure a rental property with the rental crisis yet again.
So basically the choice is struggle at the risk of not eating properly and could get kicked out as we can’t afford the rent, or , we try to find somewhere else at the risk of living in our car.
What sort of choice is that? This is certainly far from the fair Australia I once knew.
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Hi Jamie,
I found this interesting. It almost directly relates to what I am going through at the moment. We signed a lease saying pets ok only to find out when we fronted up to the agent that had to be outside. We thought about it for ten months and my wife and I didn’t feel right about lying about it so…
We contacted them and after MONTHS of wrangling got them to let a small 4KG dog inside (our cat died). They said we could do it for $30 extra a week!
The renters are over a barrel at the moment and there is nowhere to turn. The support in this state for renters is a joke. The amount of times I have contacted the RTA to be told the same old story…
I have heard the government has been buying up hotels. So maybe there will be a place in there for me!