The Sunshine Coast’s increasingly tight rental market has pushed some renters into caravans, garages and other short-term accommodation until they can find a new property.
Key points:
- REIQ figures show rental vacancy dropped from 1.9 per cent in June to 0.5 per cent, making it an extremely tight market
- David Powe said his Noosa agency had next to no available rental properties on its books
- Single mum Talitha Ellery said she was applying for up to 40 properties a day, and was now paying “way too much for what we have”
Figures from the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) show the region’s median availability in September was 0.5 per cent, a significant drop from 1.9 per cent in June.
The figures showed several areas had less than 1 per cent vacancy in September, including Coolum Beach and Pelican Waters at 0.3 per cent and Nambour at 0.2 per cent.
An REIQ spokesperson said availability of 2.5 to 3.5 per cent was considered healthy, 1.5 to 2.5 was relatively tight, and anything below 1.5 was extremely tight.
“It shows that there’s very limited stock around,” the spokesperson said.
Real estate agencies in the area confirmed this.
David Powe of McGrath Estate Agents, Noosa, where the vacancy in September was 1.1 per cent, said his agency had next to no available rental properties on its books.
“Whenever you get [a vacant property] now, it just seems like just heaps of people inquiring … and people trying to call in favours … because they’re so desperate,” he said.
Amy Ryan of Caloundra City Realty said the demand had gone crazy in the last few months, and that it could be quite upsetting hearing the stories of tenants’ differing situations.
“Owners are needing to move back into their properties because they’ve had their circumstances change … or say an owner’s lost their job and they need some extra money, so they’ve had to sell that property, and that’s gone to an [owner-occupier], so that tenant can no longer stay in the property,” she said.
“It’s quite sad to see, really.”
Temporarily moving to a caravan
Talitha Ellery had to temporarily move herself and son Roman into a caravan after two months of unsuccessful applications and a looming Term 4 start date with a new school.
The pair relocated from the Gold Coast after Roman was awarded an ongoing soccer scholarship at Peregian Beach College.
Having been with her last agent for four years, with all her tenant history ledgers and reliable employment history to show, Ms Ellery did not expect the rental search to be so challenging.
“Weeks and weeks kept ticking by and I still was not getting accepted or approved for anything,” she said.
“And that’s when, after a few conversations with real estate agents, I realised the demand in what’s happening up here.”
She was able to store her furniture with her mum while living in the caravan for three weeks until finally landing a rental.
“It was hard to be brave for [Roman]. It makes me a little bit emotional,” Ms Ellery said.
After applying for 30 to 40 properties, it was not until she offered more rent and her ex-partner put his name on the applications, that she was approved.
“I absolutely bawled my eyes out,” she said.
“I know I am paying way too much for what we have and that does feel unfair.
“It does worry me [for] single mums and single dads, or just one-wage earner families.”
Down to the wire
Anthony Ridley and his wife are down to the wire trying to find a new home for their five kids before the October 18 leave date on their current rental.
“It’s been pretty crushing for myself and my wife … We’re trying to sort of shield the kids away from it,” he said.
He and his family were given 90 days to vacate their home of five years when the owner decided to sell, but on one income and part-time salary they needed a month to get the bond and moving costs together.
Mr Ridley said they submitted applications for about 20 to 25 properties in the last month, and were looking into break-leases and the National Rental Affordability Scheme.
“It’s pretty nerve-wracking thinking that we’re potentially on the verge of being homeless in a week and a half,” he said.
The option of renting a caravan or an Airbnb temporarily is financially unviable, considering they would have to put furniture in storage and pay higher weekly rates.
“We’ve been told very clearly by our current real estate, if we’re not out by the 18th there’ll be eviction,” he said.
“But because I’ve got the kids, and especially because I’ve got younger kids, that’s what makes it so, so hard and so stressful and so crushing.”
Living out of suitcases
In the process of spending three and a half months applying for rental homes, Becky Shandeliar had to put her things in storage and move into the property of an extended family member.
“It hasn’t been ideal, but I’ve been very lucky to have that,” she said.
“I’ve been living out of suitcases, and just constantly having that feeling of being deflated every time you get knocked back, or turning up to a property where there’s literally 50 people lined up.”
A longtime Sunshine Coast resident in the arts industry, Ms Shandeliar was terrified when she was told she’d have to move out of her temporary accommodation by the end of that week, which was later renegotiated.
“And there’s a recession coming, so you think, ‘Shit, if I don’t get in some way soon, am I ever going to be able to get in anywhere? … And there’s people with kids that are going through this.
“Seeing the [online rental] threads of people in just dire need of finding places and pleading with people, ‘Please help me. I’ve got three days until I’m homeless’, it’s really confronting, and not what I would have expected to be happening on the Sunshine Coast this year.”
This article is republished from abc.net under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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