‘Dig into our savings’: 30yo returns to Australia after living abroad for four years and is shocked by rental crisis

A young Aussie has shared her shock after returning from living in the UK for four years only to have to face the rental crisis in Australia.

The rental crisis in Sydney can easily be summed up by the fact by one image - a line of dozens of people queuing up to inspect a one-bedroom apartment.

One Aussie woman who has been documenting her hunt for a rental property is all too families with such a scene.

Sakara Bell, 30, is looking for a home to rent with her partner. Their budget is $800 a week, but they’re already considering increasing it to $900.

“Most viewings have approximately 30 people at the inspections, which is really overwhelming,” Ms Bell told news.com.au.

It is no secret that housing in Sydney has become increasingly expensive. The median rental price in Sydney has ballooned to $775, making it the most expensive city in Australia.

In comparison, Canberra’s is $680, Brisbane’s is $625, and Melbourne’s medium rental price is $580.

In December, the national vacancy rate for rentals was 1.4 per cent. So, demand is high, but supply is low.

MORE: Half of renters experiencing financial difficulties

Ms Bell is originally from Queensland but has lived with her partner in the UK for the past four years.

The couple moved to Sydney in January and have yet to land an apartment, even though they’ve both been actively looking.

Ms Bell worries that they’re having trouble partly because she’s still looking for work and her partner has only just started his job.

“Applications need a lot of background information like three lots of pay slips and living arrangements, which is extremely difficult for us to provide because my partner has only been in his job for just over a month, and from previously living in the UK where we owned our home together,” she said.

“So we don’t have a rental history in the last five years.”

She explained that finding a place has been difficult. Picture: Instagram/sakara__bell

She’s been left shocked by how many people turn up at inspections. Picture: Instagram/sakara__bell

MORE: Man moves into DIY tiny house to avoid paying rent

Ms Bell said she’s been shocked by the “competitiveness” of the current rental market and how much information is needed simply to secure a rental.

She’s been sharing the process of going to inspections online and people were flabbergasted by the price of a one-bedroom rental in Darlinghurst for $720.

“Without airconditioning? I couldn’t,” one admitted.

“What the f**k $720 for a one bedroom with no air-conditioning,” another wrote.

“$720 a week for a one-bedroom unit with no airconditioning in Sydney is disgusting,” someone else raged.

Another Aussie called the lack of airconditioning “diabolic,” and someone else called it “ridiculous.”

She’s been sharing the places she goes to look at online. Picture: Instagram/sakara__bell

A debate kicked off about the rental crisis. Picture: Instagram/sakara__bell

Interestingly, not everyone was phased by the price, though. In fact, some went as far as to declare there was no rental crisis.

“It is not that hard. Just need to broaden the search are and be more flexible with budget” one claimed.

“There is no rental crisis. I work in real estate in Sydney and there’s plenty available,” someone else wrote.

“There isn’t a rental crisis everyone is just too precious,” one noted.

Others argued she just needed to rent in western Sydney and one said that if she doesn’t want to commute, she’ll need to expect to pay a premium.

Neither families don’t live close so they really need to find somewhere. Picture: Instagram/sakara__bell

The couple are keen to find a place to call home. Picture: Instagram/sakara__bell

Ms Bell said she was also feeling an increasing sense of pressure to find somewhere to live because she and her partner don’t have the option of just moving in with family. Her family lives in Queensland, and his is in the UK.

“We may have to resort to looking at an Airbnb, which isn’t what we want to do at all,” she said.

Ms Bell said their original plan was to buy a home in Sydney as well, but now they might have to “dig into” their potential house deposit just to land a rental.

“We do have savings that we want to use to buy our home in Sydney, but at the moment, we don’t really know how that’s looking, as we may need to dig into our savings to live in Sydney for now,” she said.

The 30-year-old explained she’s torn because she’s “so excited” to be back home in Australia but she’s also worried about housing.

“I just hope the rental crisis settles down soon so no one else is in this mess, as it’s incredibly stressful,” she said.

“I can only imagine how hard it is for families, let alone us as a couple. It’s really scary times, and I really feel bad for the younger generation.”