Rental crisis forces Sheidow Park woman to live with ex-husband

Picky landlords have left a woman locked in a bizarre house-sharing set-up with an ex who still can’t find his own place.

Melissa Rowsell says the state’s dire rental crisis has forced her to live unwillingly with her ex, to whom she is still legally married, for three years because of his difficulties finding somewhere else to live.

Ms Rowsell says living together while separated is a “logistic nightmare”.

“I want to be able to move on and I can’t,” she said.

Melissa Rowsell has continued to live with her ex-husband of three years as he tries to find another place. Picture: Morgan Sette

“My children keep asking me when their dad will be moving out.”

Her ex has the master bedroom on one side of the house while Ms Rowsell sleeps in what was the formal dining room.

Ms Rowsell said that her ex – who declined to comment to The Advertiser – is a full-time professional council employee with a stable income and an “absolutely flawless, really long” rental history.

Yet despite him applying for at least three properties each week for the last three years, he has been met with rejection from them all.

“I even write referrals for him from the perspective of his ex-wife,” Ms Rowsell said.

Melissa Rowsell has continued to live with her ex-husband of three years as he tries to find another place. Picture: Morgan Sette

Initially the rental search was focused around the Sheidow Park area, but now they are looking anywhere between Aldinga Beach and the Adelaide CBD.

Ms Rowsell also said that there were difficulties finalising their split as they still had an account together for bills.

She said her parents had also been hit by the rental crisis, forced to live in a caravan after selling their home as they were priced out of the rental market.

With Adelaide having a rental vacancy rate of under 1 per cent, independent real estate agent and property manager Douglas Westley said landlords generally preferred “double income” applicants.

He said investors were selling their investment properties to owner-occupiers, meaning fewer rentals on the market.

He was receiving 40 applications per property within the first week of them being on the market.