Brutal reaction after an Aussie revealed $800 rent increase

A Melbourne local was expecting to be met with sympathy after being slugged with a huge rent increase, instead they were they deserved it.

“Welcome to real life.”

Adeline Close has gone viral for revealing that their rent has increased by $800 per month, but there’s a bizarre reason people think they deserve it.

We are in the middle of both a rental and housing crisis; therefore, whenever someone shares their rental increase story, it is almost always met with sympathy. Whether you’re a renter, owner or even a landlord, everyone’s been faced with the increased cost of living and inflation.

Despite this, Adeline’s story isn’t garnering a kind response online because they accessed a service that they were perfectly entitled to. They have been renting an apartment that is part of the government’s National Rental Affordability scheme (NRAS).

When they announced on social media that they were now facing a rental increase and their video was viewed by over 300,000 people, it opened them up to extreme judgment.

“Perfect and about time you paid market rates!” one person wrote.

“Stop being a peasant then,” another said.

“Have you ever heard of hustle culture?” someone else asked.

These are the kind of responses Adeline Close received. Picture: TikTok/ adelinejclose

Affordable housing has meant they were able to study. Picture: Supplied

The scheme has meant Adeline was able to rent in Melbourne’s trendy Brunswick and has been paying $330 weekly for the last two years.

It is almost an unheard-of scenario in 2024, especially considering that Brunswick is littered with hipsters and $25 breakfast options, but it gave Adeline a chance to have a fair go.

The government scheme started in 2008 and was established to provide affordable housing in popular areas for low to middle income earners.

It is now set to end in 2026, and Adeline received a letter informing them that they would now be paying what their haters would call “real” rent.

Adeline’s rent is going up now because the building they are living in has been apart of the scheme now for a decade.

More than 6600 properties across Australia will be scrapped from the scheme.

However, the Victorian government has said it will work with the Commonwealth government, community housing providers and renter advocates with the aim of retaining the rentals currently in the scheme as affordable or social housing.

There is also the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund announced in the 2022/2023 Federal Budget, which will support the construction of 30,000 social and affordable homes over a five-year period.

However, Australians renting through the NRAS scheme who have to vacate these properties in the interim will still be facing a grim housing reality.

Adeline said the fact the scheme it is ending without a direct replacement means the situation for most people is “dire.”

The scheme has helped set them up. Picture: Supplied

They are now working in retail. Picture: Supplied

The young worker stresses that for them, the rental increase certainly isn’t welcome, but it isn’t going to leave them in a vulnerable situation. They are considering moving but can handle the rental increase on a month-to-month basis for now.

Still, Adeline only had to speak to their neighbours to know that it is devastating for Aussies who have relied on the scheme and still need it.

“People are in crisis, people with children who are going to end up homeless, it is heartbreaking,” they said.

Adeline also pointed out that the fact the scheme is wrapping up during a rental crisis is poor timing.

When Adeline secured their apartment in 2022, they were living on Centrelink from a regional town and needed to move to the city to study.

Adeline said that without the scheme, they wouldn’t have been able to move in the first place and their dreams of studying would have been dashed.

The fact Adeline was able to find affordable housing has changed the trajectory of their life, and now they are studying acting, Auslan at TAFE and they are also a trainee manager in retail.

They are earning $62,000, which is still considered a middle income, so they are able to stay in their rental and they feel like they are now in a “perfect” position financially.

“I’m going to be okay. I wanted to talk about it because many people aren’t,” they told news.com.au.

Brunswick is a very trendy spot in Melbourne. Picture: iStock

Adeline said that the scheme helped to get them on their “feet” and made them feel “lucky” that they were able to access it when they needed it.

The fact that Adeline’s rent has increased and the scheme is ending isn’t terrible news because it has served its purpose for them to a certain extent.

“I can move on, but here are lots of people who aren’t at that point,” they said.

Paying lower rent for two years, meant they were able to study, work, and save a five per cent deposit.

Now that it is ending, they are considering looking to buy a small one bedroom apartment.

“It sounds so ridiculous going from a government scheme to buying and I’m lucky to be considering it,” they said.