As the end of the lease approaches, local renters like Danielle are filled with anxiety about their future. Digital image. When the Post asked readers to submit questions for Monash candidates, one heart-felt response stood out: “My question to all candidates - what will you do to help low-income people afford housing?”
The writer added: “With rents skyrocketing many are having to leave the area, leaving family, friends and their life behind. I fear the same as a renter. We cannot get long term leases and my rent rises every 12 months.”
The writer agreed to share her story in the Post. “But please don’t use my name,” she said. “Renters can’t afford to get a reputation as troublemakers.” So we will call her Danielle.
The writer added: “With rents skyrocketing many are having to leave the area, leaving family, friends and their life behind. I fear the same as a renter. We cannot get long term leases and my rent rises every 12 months.”
The writer agreed to share her story in the Post. “But please don’t use my name,” she said. “Renters can’t afford to get a reputation as troublemakers.” So we will call her Danielle.
By Danielle
I’VE lived on Phillip Island/San Remo for about 25 years. I’ve rented all that time. The last house I was in for 15 years. It was a two-bedroom house right at the beach and they put the rent up slowly. I think it started at $190 and slowly crept up to $250. Nothing much was done to the place over that time apart from emergency repairs, like replacing the hot water system. The place was pretty much falling apart. We just put up with it because my son was young and I didn’t want to move.
I was there for 15 years until they sold it and I had to move. It was such a traumatic time. It was at the tail end of Covid. I couldn't actually go and inspect a house. I had to do everything online. You have to sign up to all these third party places for the applications and upload all this private stuff. It was very stressful. I applied for about 15 houses, including off the island, even though that was going to be too far away from my mum. She’s 88 and she’s got no one else. I can't move. My life is here. People forget that bit. It's not just a matter of finding another house somewhere else. People have jobs, kids in school, connections with health care, church, whatever.
When I put the application in, the agent rang me up and said they had worked out I couldn’t afford the rent. I'm a carer so I rely on a carer's pension. I said to her “Well, I have to afford it!” I had to find the money to pay rent in advance to give them a bit of security.
My rent jumped by about $80. I just signed another lease and they wanted to put it up $30 and I negotiated for $20. It’s not like they came in and renovated or did anything to make it more valuable. This place is really small and the bathroom is like a wardrobe. You can't swing a cat here but I love it because I have beautiful neighbours and and I'm able to grow vegies.
When you have to get things fixed, you think here we go, the rent's going to go up next time because they've got to pay for it. Even though you're paying rent monthly and they should be putting money aside for maintenance.
I try not to worry about the future because it doesn't do you any good. I hold my breath for a couple of months when the lease is due. I was lucky last time. I got a two-year lease but this time they only gave me 12 months. Around November I'll start getting anxious. Nine times out of 10 – well, 10 times out of 10 – the rent goes up. It's never $5 or $10, it's $20 and $30. I've heard horrific stories. You just have to accept it. You have to find a way to pay it because it costs so much to move and the chances of getting a new lease are very low. There's nothing under $400.
People get so desperate they move in with family but it can ruin family relationships. It also hides the crisis. They're not classed as homeless because they've got somewhere to live but it can be a very stressful. A friend of my mother who was on a disability pension, as well as her daughter, had to leave when the house they lived in was sold. They have had to split and live in temporary situations with family, paying for storage for all their belongings. These are good people. It's tragic. That's just one story. There are many more.
I used to be on the waiting list for a Housing Commission place but I gave up because there are no houses on Phillip Island as far as I know. You'd have to go to Wonthaggi if you're lucky and there's already a big long wait over there.
What would help?
An increase in rent assistance that keeps up with inflating rent rises. And longer leases because then you could plan your life. When I had the two-year lease I didn’t have to stress for a couple of years. The owners came and did some repairs and I asked if I could have a longer lease. They just said, “Oh we don't know what our plans are with the rates going up and all these taxes.” So they didn't want to give me any assurance. It's a hell of a situation.
More social housing will take too long, because of shortage of workers, costs of planning, consultants, materials shortages, etc. If all the houses for sale on the island at the moment went to rental, I still don't think that would solve it because once it gets to three bedrooms, it goes from $400 up. There are so many houses available in the $500 range.
I would like to see incentives to rent out houses to low-income people, rather than more money for first home buyers who often cannot afford to pay the mortgage in the long run. This would be cheaper for the Government than building social housing. Here there are so many holiday houses that are used for six weeks of the year.
More Housing Commission houses would help but realistically I don't think it's going to happen on Phillip Island. Honestly, they don't want low-income people here.
I’VE lived on Phillip Island/San Remo for about 25 years. I’ve rented all that time. The last house I was in for 15 years. It was a two-bedroom house right at the beach and they put the rent up slowly. I think it started at $190 and slowly crept up to $250. Nothing much was done to the place over that time apart from emergency repairs, like replacing the hot water system. The place was pretty much falling apart. We just put up with it because my son was young and I didn’t want to move.
I was there for 15 years until they sold it and I had to move. It was such a traumatic time. It was at the tail end of Covid. I couldn't actually go and inspect a house. I had to do everything online. You have to sign up to all these third party places for the applications and upload all this private stuff. It was very stressful. I applied for about 15 houses, including off the island, even though that was going to be too far away from my mum. She’s 88 and she’s got no one else. I can't move. My life is here. People forget that bit. It's not just a matter of finding another house somewhere else. People have jobs, kids in school, connections with health care, church, whatever.
When I put the application in, the agent rang me up and said they had worked out I couldn’t afford the rent. I'm a carer so I rely on a carer's pension. I said to her “Well, I have to afford it!” I had to find the money to pay rent in advance to give them a bit of security.
My rent jumped by about $80. I just signed another lease and they wanted to put it up $30 and I negotiated for $20. It’s not like they came in and renovated or did anything to make it more valuable. This place is really small and the bathroom is like a wardrobe. You can't swing a cat here but I love it because I have beautiful neighbours and and I'm able to grow vegies.
When you have to get things fixed, you think here we go, the rent's going to go up next time because they've got to pay for it. Even though you're paying rent monthly and they should be putting money aside for maintenance.
I try not to worry about the future because it doesn't do you any good. I hold my breath for a couple of months when the lease is due. I was lucky last time. I got a two-year lease but this time they only gave me 12 months. Around November I'll start getting anxious. Nine times out of 10 – well, 10 times out of 10 – the rent goes up. It's never $5 or $10, it's $20 and $30. I've heard horrific stories. You just have to accept it. You have to find a way to pay it because it costs so much to move and the chances of getting a new lease are very low. There's nothing under $400.
People get so desperate they move in with family but it can ruin family relationships. It also hides the crisis. They're not classed as homeless because they've got somewhere to live but it can be a very stressful. A friend of my mother who was on a disability pension, as well as her daughter, had to leave when the house they lived in was sold. They have had to split and live in temporary situations with family, paying for storage for all their belongings. These are good people. It's tragic. That's just one story. There are many more.
I used to be on the waiting list for a Housing Commission place but I gave up because there are no houses on Phillip Island as far as I know. You'd have to go to Wonthaggi if you're lucky and there's already a big long wait over there.
What would help?
An increase in rent assistance that keeps up with inflating rent rises. And longer leases because then you could plan your life. When I had the two-year lease I didn’t have to stress for a couple of years. The owners came and did some repairs and I asked if I could have a longer lease. They just said, “Oh we don't know what our plans are with the rates going up and all these taxes.” So they didn't want to give me any assurance. It's a hell of a situation.
More social housing will take too long, because of shortage of workers, costs of planning, consultants, materials shortages, etc. If all the houses for sale on the island at the moment went to rental, I still don't think that would solve it because once it gets to three bedrooms, it goes from $400 up. There are so many houses available in the $500 range.
I would like to see incentives to rent out houses to low-income people, rather than more money for first home buyers who often cannot afford to pay the mortgage in the long run. This would be cheaper for the Government than building social housing. Here there are so many holiday houses that are used for six weeks of the year.
More Housing Commission houses would help but realistically I don't think it's going to happen on Phillip Island. Honestly, they don't want low-income people here.