‘I’m really worried’: Grieving single mother is running out of options

First she lost the father of her child in a horrific crash, then she faced raising their new baby alone. Now this young Brisbane mum is desperately searching for a home for her and child.

A grieving Brisbane mother says she’s desperate for a home after being rejected for a rental 280 times.

Tomeeka Tomlinson, 19, said she was left “stranded”, with “no house, no transport” last year after the death of her partner in a motorcycle crash.

She was 16 weeks pregnant with his child at the time.

Ms Tomlinson had no option but to move in with her already overcrowded family as she desperately searched for a rental for her and her six-month-old son.

Tomeeka Tomlinson has been looking for a rental for months.

“I started looking for rentals and was continuously knocked back,” she said.

“I have applied for over 280 houses around Redbank Plains, Redbank, Goodna, Augustine Heights, Springfield, Riverview, Yamanto, Brassall and so many more including [National Rental Affordability Scheme] NRAS applications.”

It’s now been eight months since she first started looking.

“Still not one approved house for myself and my almost six-month-old son. Not even a room to rent.

“The state of our rental crisis right now is shocking.

“And I hate to say it, but with the amount of house inspections I’ve had to drag myself and my son to, it seems the rental market at the moment is leaving struggling families with children in need of housing on the streets.

“I’m really worried.”

She is one of a growing number of anxious parents desperately seeking a home in what has become a saturated renters’ market.

Floods across Brisbane have contributed to a tough rental market. Photo: Steve Pohlner

Purple Cow Real Estate Springfield Lakes director Andy Nutton said the current rental crisis across Greater Brisbane came down to a number of reasons.

“There’s a lower number of homes available for rent and more people looking for rentals, which makes it harder for tenants to secure a home,” he said.

“Some factors influencing the shortage in supply is a reduction of investors entering the market or investment properties being sold to owner-occupiers in the recent property boom, as well as pressures in the building industry causing delays to new builds being available.

“A high level of migration into the state has contributed to higher demand for rental properties and this is likely to continue.

“Sadly, the natural disasters we’ve experienced across the state have also caused challenges for the rental market.

“These combined pressures on supply and demand impact rental prices.”

Mr Nutton added the Greater Springfield area attracted a high number of people because of the amenities, schools and parklands, which could make it competitive for renters.

“We’ve had properties with more than 50 applications, which unfortunately means there are people missing out on securing a new rental home,” he said.

If you are planning on applying for a rental, Mr Nutton recommends being well prepared and talking to property managers in the area about any available options that might be suitable for you.

“Tenants can also request rental references from previous property managers to support their applications,” he said.

“We’re also seeing a shift towards ‘multi-generational living’ with extended families residing under one roof in a larger home, as this can help with housing affordability.”

“It would be great if we could see strong incentives for investors to enter the housing market to create more rental properties or even more support for building ‘multi-generational’ style homes.”