I’m a single mum and I can’t afford to keep up with rent increases, it’s unfair

“It’s so frustrating and doesn’t seem fair, especially when things are already hard with everything else going up,” said Melbourne mum Anina. 

A Melbourne mum has caused a divide online after complaining about the “unfair” rental increases she’s faced since moving into her home.

Anina is a a single mum who has been working as a barista part-time while raising her six-year-old daughter.

Living in a small two-bedroom apartment in Aberfeldie, an inner suburb of Melbourne, she had the shock of her life when she received a message from her landlord. 

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Melbourne mum struggles with constant rent increases

“I just got another rent increase,” she said in the clip, furious. “I am so angry.” 

“It makes no sense, it doesn’t make sense. What am I paying for?”

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The Victorian woman moved into the Melbourne apartment with her daughter during the pandemic, paying a rate she first thought was fair. 

However, the apartment has been riddled with issues. 

“The house has actually probably gotten worse,” she said. “It’s falling apart; it’s not structurally sound. The house moves, and the floorboards are on an angle; there’s black mould.”

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The Melbourne mum said in the two years she’s been living in the apartment, its condition has become progressively worse.

“The black mould should be paying me rent, honestly,” she sarcastically wrote. 

“Genuinely, what the f**k am I paying for?” she asked. “It’s a two-bedroom, one-bathroom house that is so small and actually falling apart.” 

To make matters worse, her rent has been increasing at a rate that is causing her to “lose my f**king mind”.

“Since then, every year, it has gone up and keeps going up,” she said. The single mum revealed when she first moved in with her 6yo, the fortnightly rent was setting her back $680.

“I have now received this year, and it’s at $860-a-fortnight now,” she said. 

“It’s so frustrating and doesn’t seem fair, especially when things are already hard with everything else going up.” 

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The Melbourne mum was furious that her rent had increased again. Picture: aninasaramoser/TikTok

Speaking to news.com.au, Anina explained that while she has some savings in her bank account, it’s not enough to help put a deposit on her own home. 

“I’m just not being able to save at all anymore,” she said. “When before all the rent increases, I managed to save money to put away for things like buying a house or emergencies.” 

As her 6yo occupies the second bedroom of the Melbourne property, the likelihood of Anina finding a housemate to share the financial load is slim. 

“Having housemates isn’t possible as I have a daughter, and her safety and comfort comes first,” she said. Her Aberfeldie home is in the perfect location for everything her daughter needs, so there’s also no chance of moving somewhere more affordable.

“I will have to deal with the increases as I can’t move away because of my daughter’s school and my family is down here, too,” she said. 

“I also couldn’t move anywhere else, as I need to stay close to where her dad is so he can still see his daughter on the weekends.” 

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"I'm just not being able to save at all anymore." Picture: aninasaramoser/TikTok

“Welcome to the real world”

The video quickly went viral, and despite the mum’s frustrations, she may not have received the response she was hoping for. 

“$860 a fortnight, $430 a week would have to be one of the cheapest rentals!” a comment read. “Bargain!” said another. “My mortgage has nearly doubled.”

“My mortgage used to be $500 a week. It’s now $1000-a-week,” a homeowner wrote. “Welcome to the real world.” 

“Still better than Sydney,” a woman vented. “That price would barely [be] enough for one week’s rent.”

But others understood the struggle perfectly, sharing their own experience with the current crisis gripping the country. 

“Babe! That’s more than my mortgage!” a shocked woman said. “If I had to rent in my area, I wouldn’t be able to afford it.”

“I know, right? Rent is paid, but I can't afford food!” said another. 

Originally published as I’m a single mum and I can’t afford to keep up with rent increases, it’s unfair