Queensland family in pieces after rental crisis forces them to live in a tent

“Are we going to be safe in tents? Where are we going to have showers? Where are we going to have meals?” tearful mum-of-three Kate asks. 

The Australian rental crisis has tipped even further, with one Queensland family kicked out of their rental property only months after arriving, now forced to live in a tent. 

Three months ago, Kate and Adam, residents of Toowoomba, moved into a rental property with their three kids. 

Unable to afford Brisbane's skyrocketing rent prices, they sought a cheaper alternative. 

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The rental crisis has forced Kate and Adam to live in a tent with their three kids. Source: ACA

“How are we meant to live?” 

As the family settled into their new home, they received a shocking phone call from their landlord, forcing them out of the property. 

“They didn't give us a reason on why they're doing it,” dad-of-three Adam told A Current Affair. “They literally just told us you got to vacate.” 

Kate said she was “begging” the landlord on the phone to reconsider. 

“When I found out I got a notice to leave, I said, ‘How are we meant to live?’”

Since being notified of their eviction, the Queensland family have been unable to secure a place to live and raise their three kids. 

Instead, they have no choice but to live in a tent, leaving their three kids “frightened’ and “scared” for the future. 

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Adam is an ex-serviceman who currently operates in window repair, and his wife, Kate, currently works in aged care. 

Despite applying for several properties, they are unable to secure a place to live.  

Instead, the family-of-five are currently packing up their lives into boxes, preparing for their life in a tent. 

But as the family collect their belongings for another move, Kate is fearful for her kids’ safety. 

“Are we going to be safe in tents?” she tearfully asked ACA. “Where are we going to have showers? Where are we going to have meals?” 

She also worries about the future of the kids’ schooling, facing an uphill battle as they adjust to their new life. 

RELATED: Queensland’s rental crisis is so bad I have to live in a tent with my two kids

The Queensland parents are terrified for their kids' safety. Source: ACA

Australian families couch surfing amid rental crisis

Kate and Adam are far from the only family struggling in the crippling rental market. 

A Perthmum, who left Australia due to the crippling rental crisis, was shocked when she came back to find the rent has skyrocketed even further. 

The single mum-of-one was left with no choice but to couch surf until she could find a stable place for them to live. 

“My daughter feels so unsettled and unstable,” she said. “I'm terrified for the future. At the moment, it feels like a massive fight for survival, and everyone's feeling it.”

Australia’s vacancy rate is currently 1.1 per cent, rising slightly after a three-month record low. 

A senate inquiry in August found the rental crisis has become so extreme that women living in abusive relationships are unable to escape, leaving them in a state of “perpetual crisis.” 

“We are seeing clients who may stay in violent homes because they don’t have anywhere to go or because moving would severely disrupt their employment or their children's education,” said the Head of NSW Legal Aid Domestic Violence Unit, Hannah Baltins. 

“It’s also an issue for Aboriginal families, and overcrowding in housing, and families being forced into insufficient or inappropriate housing.”

Originally published as Queensland family in pieces after rental crisis forces them to live in a tent