'I had to move interstate just to find housing for my kids'

“It’s not fair on them to not have somewhere to live.”

Joel Erickson

3 min read

March 6, 2024 - 4:42PM

Australia’s rental crisis the main 'stake' in domestic inflation

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Zoe Somers knows better than most how tough the rental market is out there.

The single mother-of-three toiled for months trying to find a rental on the Gold Coast, but was knocked back by more than 150 landlords.

“I don’t know the exact amount, but it’s a lot of rejections,” she told Kidspot.

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“There was only one person who ended up giving me a reason. I tried to get a private rental, and I was initially assured I’d get it, but they came back and said that because I was on the single-parenting pension and didn’t have a job, it was unreliable money.

“My pension has never been cut off. You’re not going to lose your pension, but you can definitely lose a job.”

Zoe Somers with her two youngest children. Picture: Courier Mail

"There's such a stigma around being a single mum"

Zoe believes the real reason she was rejected from so many properties was because she is a single mother.

“You see comments online calling single mums irresponsible, dirty, and that people just don’t want to rent to them,” she said.

“It’s really sad to see such a stigma around being a single mum.”

Despite the constant rejection, she was driven to keep applying so her children wouldn’t be forced to live in a car.

“It was more for them than me,” she said. “If it was just me, I’d probably just live in my car, but they need somewhere safe and warm.

“It’s not fair on them to not have somewhere to live.”

Zoe was knocked back for more than 150 rentals in Queensland before making the move to Tasmania. Picture: Supplied

"I'm just hoping for the best"

Zoe has now been forced to move to Tasmania with her 13-year-old daughter and two-year-old son to live with her mum and stepdad, and hopes a new area will bring better luck.

“I’ve applied for maybe eight or nine properties already since we got here,” she said. “I’ve been rejected for only two of them so far.

“I’m just applying for anything in my price range and hoping for the best.

“I’m very grateful mum is giving me a place to stay, and I’ve been accepted for a job here already.”

Zoe with her 13-year-old daughter, who has recently been diagnosed with autism. Picture: Supplied

"There's obviously really big issues here"

Having experienced the rental crisis in full effect, Zoe said it was time for the government to act on the escalating issue.

“There’s obviously really big issues here, but I don’t think anyone truly knows what to do to change it,” she said.

“There probably needs to be more regulation on AirBNBs. We’ve got houses that are empty for weeks while families are living in tents.

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“I also wish there was less stigma around single parents - just because we’re on pensions doesn’t make us irresponsible.

“It’s not always about wanting to stay home. I certainly didn’t want to stay home, but I couldn’t find work.

“With the cost-of-living combined with the rising costs of rent, I really don’t know how most families survive.”

Anne Crarey, executive general manager of property services at Little Real Estate, said she'd never seen such a bad rental market in her 25 years.

“Prospective tenants face the most challenging conditions we’ve ever seen," she said.

“To have rental vacancies below 1% at all of our offices is unheard of.

"We have seen states with low vacancy and others high but never have I seen this level of consistency across the eastern states.

“Factors such as exorbitant transaction costs, additional land tax requirements and rising maintenance costs are putting financial strain on landlords prompting them to sell their properties."