Narangba family of five reunited after they were forced apart due to rental crisis

A family will be reunited just in time for the festive season after spending months apart, forced to separate when their mum was unable to find a rental.

A mother has described the moment her girls “burst into tears” of happiness when they were told they would be reunited for Christmas.

It comes after two teenage girls gave heartbreaking accounts of how it felt to be separated from their mother and younger siblings when Queensland’s rental crisis tore them apart for months.

Emma, 17, and Bella, 15, were forced from their rental home north of Brisbane after the landlord issued a notice to leave, without grounds.

The Narangba house had been their home with mum, Mel Ferencz, and their younger sisters Ebonee and Pheobee for five years.

And while Ms Ferencz desperately tried to fight the notice even taking it as far as mediation and QCAT – the result left them homeless.

She has applied for more than 200 properties during her search.

Ms Ferencz was left with no other option than to split her family up in a bid to keep a roof over their heads.

The mother of four and her eldest daughters bravely shared their story and generous landlord came to the rescue.

“I just wanted to say a huge thank you, someone saw the article and they have offered me a house,” Ms Ferencz said.

“We move in at the end of November, so my family will be back together for Christmas.

“The heartache and stress we have been through has all been worth it now.

“We are so overwhelmed with it all and in total shock.”

Ms Ferencz said at the time she was devastated by the position her family had found itself in.

“It kills me, it absolutely kills me every single day, “ she said.

“(The little ones) they don’t understand, they’re like ‘mum, why can’t we go back to our house?

“They’re like when can we go back to our house mum, why can’t we play with our toys.

“Where’s our bed, why can’t we live there anymore, I just can’t explain it to them.”

Ms Ferencz said they were all so excited to be finally together again and put the past few months behind them.

“The new house is in Morayfield East and the girls burst into tears, they are so excited,” she said.

“The little ones are so excited to get their toys and their beds back as well.

“I was in so much shock, I didn’t believe it to begin with but I feel like a huge weight has been lifted.

“I could actually breathe again, it was a huge relief.

“They actually restored my faith in humanity.”

And while there is a happy ending for Ms Ferencz and her children, the same can’t be said for many other Queensland families.

Figures in REIQ’s Vacancy Rate Report demonstrate just how strong the demand is for rental property across the region.

In the June 2021 quarter, Moreton Bay had a vacancy rate of 0.7%, down 0.5% from the previous year, while the Brisbane LGA had the highest vacancy at just 1.7%.

Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) CEO Antonia Mercorella said the vacancy rate for the outer LGAs was exceptionally tight.

“It appears the perfect storm of conditions thrown up by COVID-19 still have their grip on vacancy rates,” she said.

“People are relocating to the regions from Brisbane and interstate in droves, where people can work remotely and commute to the capital city when necessary.

“In addition, some investors are taking advantage of high capital growth and making a decision to sell which is exacerbating the limited supply of rental properties.”