Rental stress hits 300,000 NSW households, many in essential jobs

Across NSW almost 300,000 households of ordinary working Australians are suffering rental stress. Many of those affected are working in low-paid essential jobs, such as aged care workers and forklift drivers who earn as little as $20 an hour.

One single dad pays 70 per cent of what he earns on his $430 weekly rent for a two-bedroom unit. Picture: AAP

Across NSW almost 300,000 households of ordinary working Australians are suffering rental stress.

New research showing the alarming statistics also reveals that many of those affected are working in low-paid essential jobs, such as aged care workers and forklift drivers who earn as little as $20 an hour.

Many people in rental stress are working in low-paid but essential jobs. Picture: AAP

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Research by the University of NSW for the Everybody’s Home campaign found 280,000 households in NSW are suffering rental stress — paying more than 30 per cent of their already low income on rent.

“Housing affordability is not an inner city phenomenon experienced by Millenials consuming too much avocado,” Everybody’s Home spokeswoman Kate Colvin said. “It is being experienced most acutely by ordinary working Australians in electorates in Western Sydney and regional NSW.”

People like single dad Paul Murphy, 44, who works as a forklift driver and pays $430 of his $650 a week wage to rent a two-bedroom apartment in Rockdale.

“Usually rent ends up being about 70 per cent of what I earn, which is crazy but I have no choice,” he said.

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