The lucky country? Aussies preparing to live on the road as poor rental availability, cost of living and wage stagnation take hold

Aussies feeling the heat of the cost of living crisis are sharing sad tips which show how bad things have got.

Aussies feeling the heat of the cost of living crisis are sharing tips on how to live on the bare minimum, with several admitting they are preparing to become homeless.

The vanlife trend, which exploded over the last decade with social media bloggers preaching a cheaper lifestyle without the weight of rental bills, has now become the necessity for those struggling under Australia’s tumbledryer economy - with many discussing how to live in tents.

Even those earning over the six-figure mark are reporting financial strain as mortgage repayments, supermarket prices and basic utilities skyrocket.

The Albanese government has been smashed with criticism as regular Aussies prepare for a lean Christmas. Critics have blamed everything from an influx of over 620,000 post-Covid migrants to the collapse of several construction firms for the imbalance in housing availability.

The sentiment is strong in the Facebook group “Don’t Rent Me”, which offers a platform for disgruntled renters to vent about the state of Australia’s housing market.

One anonymous Australian asked how complicated it would be to just set up a tent and avoid the horribly congested rental system altogether.

Some of the hardest-hit Aussies are admitting they are preparing to live life homeless.

“Has anyone considered setting up a roof top tent, due to the rental crisis? If so, do you have any advice both positive and negative. I understand that bathroom facilities would be a constant problem,” the post read.

While several group members offered advice on living out of a vehicle, others commented on how sad the situation has quickly become in “the Lucky Country”.

“This is really sad. I purchased a caravan a few years back. I’ve been considering selling to free up some cash but always in the back of my mind is don’t sell, you might need to live in it. What is Australia coming to, honestly,” one person wrote.

“Isn’t it sad that lots of us have started planing for when we become homeless!! It’s really frightening...” another said.

One unfortunate renter said they had been living in a tent in their backyard because their house was mouldy.

“We are living in the backyard in a tent due our rental being mouldy and we are all very sick. There is an outdoor toilet but it’s now spewing out sewerage water from the pipes ... once we are in safe conditions again we want to donate camp set ups for folks in transitional situations,” they said.

“I feel this is only going to get worse and worse.”

Another said they had been forced to live in a caravan for the past seven months with their child because they had been denied over 50 rental applications.

“I’ve been in a caravan with my daughter for 7 months now, the heat is a killer. I hope one day we can get a house but I’ve applied for over 50+ houses in these 7 months and nothing! It shouldn’t be like this,” the person wrote.

“It breaks my heart that my other kids have to live elsewhere because the caravan is too small for them to stay too.”

Another person said they had pre-bought a trailer “just in case”.

“I bought a trailer just in case. It has all our camping gear in it . Only problem is I have animals so I’m not too sure how I will navigate that if we end up homeless,” they said.

One Aussie simply wrote: “What is Australia coming to, honestly?”.

And no, the rental crisis doesn’t appear to be slowing down.

Aussies feeling the heat of the cost of living crisis are sharing tips on how to live on the bare minimum.

Rental prices are tipped to continue to increase across Australia throughout next year, according to a panel of economic experts.

The steepest increase is forecast for Perth, where rents are expected to climb by an average of 9.5 per cent, according to comparison website Finder.

It means the average minimum household income required to afford renting a house in Perth will be just over $108,000 or almost $95,000 for a unit.

Hobart is tipped to experience the smallest increase, with an average rise of three per cent.

It means the average minimum household income needed to rent a house will be $98,000 or $84,000 for a unit.

Finder’s head of consumer research Graham Cooke said Australians with a mortgage were not the only ones strapped for cash.

“Finder’s Consumer Sentiment Tracker shows 42 per cent of renters are currently struggling to pay their rent, which is higher than the 37 per cent of mortgage holders in the same position,” he said.

“Much of the conversation around rate rises focuses on homeowners, but it’s actually renters who are proportionally feeling the impact more, as they deal with flow-on rent increases.

“Further rent increases won’t be welcome news for those struggling.”

Rental prices are tipped to continue to increase across Australia throughout next year, according to a panel of economic experts.

On Tuesday, the Reserve Bank of Australia held the cash rate at 4.35 per cent at its final meeting of the year.

Mr Cooke said the soaring cost of living had “wreaked havoc” on many families this year.

“Everything from housing to groceries, petrol and energy costs more, and economic conditions are some of the worst in decades,” he said.

“While we expect the RBA could start cutting the cash rate late next year, we could see at least one more hike before that happens.”

People with a $600,000 mortgage are now paying about $1349 more per month than they were before the RBA started lifting the cash rate in May last year. For most people, scrambling to find that extra $16,000 per year is impossible.

It comes after annual data from St Vincent de Paul Society on Friday revealed a 40 per cent rise in calls for assistance or support all over the country in the past year.

Additional research from Gravox revealed 17 per cent of Aussies surveyed said they would be cutting back on Christmas spending, looking at op shops for presents.

“The Christmas period is one of celebrating and joy; however, this isn’t the reality for many Australians,” St Vincent de Paul Society national president Mark Gaetani said.

“Currently, there are 761,000 children whose families lack adequate food and struggle to pay essential household bills.”

Originally published as The lucky country? Aussies preparing to live on the road as poor rental availability, cost of living and wage stagnation take hold