Siblings Leo and Cassie Peroff live in a caravan after family home sold due to rising interest rates

A brother and sister are living in a caravan after their family home was sold due to recent interest rate hikes.

Leo and Cassie Peroff, two siblings, living in Mt Compass Caravan Park with their dog Jack. Picture: Ben Clark

This time last year, siblings Leo and Cassie Peroff were living at home with their parents in the family’s Morphett Vale house.

They never would have imagined that in just a matter of months, their parents would be forced to sell the home they grew up in, separating the family.

Rising interest rates and the cost of living crisis forced Leo and Cassie’s parents to put their home on the market, leaving the siblings little choice but to move into a caravan park.

Leo Peroff, 21, and his sister Cassie, 29, have been living in their caravan since March after their parents went to live with their other sibling in Port Lincoln.

“The interest rates were too much, so they sold it before the bank took it,” Cassie said, sitting outside their mobile home at the Mt Compass Caravan Park.

“Our parents moved to Port Lincoln to be with some of our family, but we needed to stay here for Leo’s support network.”

Cassie is Leo’s full-time carer as he lives with an intellectual disability, meaning neither of the two can work.

Leo and Cassie Peroff are living in a caravan park after their parents were forced to sell the family home. Picture: Ben Clark

“Leo’s brain didn’t develop at the proper rate, so while he’s nearly 22, he’s almost pre-teen in his brain functioning,” Cassie said.

“I think we found that out when he was about 14 or 15, so now I’m his full-time carer.”

With only Cassie’s carer’s allowance keeping them afloat, the duo purchased a caravan from Facebook marketplace and setup their portable home at the site in Mt Compass.

“It’s really lovely here, it has a great community feel and everyone gets along really well,” Cassie said.

“When we were looking for a place to live, this was the only park that had availabilities for long-stay residents.

“A lot of the council owned ones you can only stay up to 30 days and then you have to move on.

“It’s really beautiful and open, and there’s a community garden and camp kitchen.”

Paying $290 a week for their powered site, Leo and Cassie, along with their RSPCA rescue dog Jack, hope to find a rental property they can permanently call home.

But like many people across the state, they’re struggling to find an affordable rental.

“It’s just hard because for what we need, there’s nothing in our budget at the moment,” Cassie said.

“We’re trying to find a place, but we’re pretty well priced out.

“For the kind of house we need, in the right locations, the cheapest property is about $400 per week, and we just can’t afford that.

“We’ve got friends here (in the caravan park) that are about our age and when they lost their rental property, they were living in a swag in the middle of a property in Mallala; so we know we’re definitely not the only ones struggling at the moment.”

Caravan parks all over the state are experiencing a rise in inquiries for permanent sites, with one turning down people looking for spots almost daily.

Cassie is Leo’s full time carer as Leo lives with a disability. Picture: Ben Clark

A spokeswoman from the Mt Barker Caravan and Tourist Park said they had received three phone calls in one morning asking for a site.

“We’ve definitely had lots and lots of calls from people trying to find a permanent site,” she said.

“We don’t technically take permanent residents here though – we have people that stay here while they’re building a home, but everyone who stays here has to have a check-out date.

“But still, every day there’s at least one person who needs somewhere to live that calls to ask for a site.

“Yesterday I had a phone call from a 62-year-old lady who had nowhere else to go.”

The Strathalbyn Caravan Park also confirmed people struggling to find an affordable rental were reaching out for long-term accommodation.

“We’ve probably got about 15 permanent residents in this site,” a spokesman said.

“I have been getting a lot of phone calls lately asking about permanent sites though.

“I don’t really have the room but when it’s quieter in winter I let them use the regular spots.”