Single mum-of-eight rejected from 597 rental properties in Queensland

A single mum has revealed how she was left homeless for seven months after being rejected from almost 600 Queensland rental properties.

A single mum was left homeless for seven months after she and her eight children were rejected from just under 600 rental properties in Queensland.

Nicole Kent has claimed real estate agents and landlords discriminate against single parents, revealing just how badly people are suffering as a result of Australias rental crisis.

The Ipswich mother was forced to find a new home earlier this year following the devastating floods, but the process proved to be much more difficult than anticipated.

She applied for 597 houses before finally being accepted into the home she lives in now – though there were unusual conditions attached to the property.

Speaking to Sunrise, Ms Kent claimed at least two real estate agents told her she would need to “get a partner”, suggesting doing so would help with her applications.

“Being a single mum of eight kids, it's really hard,” she said.

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Nicole Kent applied for 597 rental properties. Picture: Sunrise/Channel 7

Ms Kent said many agent believed she wouldn’t be able to pay her rent due to the competitive market, despite her continually paying her $450 a week rent at her previous property with no issues.

Her unsuccessful house search meant she became homeless for seven months and, as a result, had to be separated from her children.

Eventually she was accepted for a house, but only after she told the agent that she worked as a bond cleaner.

“She rang me back and said ‘You can have it if you clean it’,” Ms Kent told the program.

“So, being a single mum and separated from my children for several months, of course, I’m going to take the house.”

The home had been badly damaged by the previous tenants, but Ms Kent had been left with no other option but to try and make it liveable for her family.

“The house was very badly damaged. But at the end of the day, I didn’t care about that,” she said.

“I took that on I cleaned it as much as I could, just to bring my children home. It is a mother’s worst nightmare being separated from your children.”

She eventually was able to move into a ‘badly damaged’ house, on the condition she cleaned it. Picture: Sunrise/Channel 7

The single mum said she wasn’t the only person with children who had experienced difficulty finding a rental property, saying she sees it “all the time”.

Ms Kent had previously volunteered at a charity helping homeless people, and had even taken two people into her home to help them get off the streets.

She said suddenly being on the other end of that was “pretty sad” and had left her “shocked”.

Ms Kent said so many single parents are judged because landlords and real estate agents assume children are going to cause damages.

“It’s really unfair that you’re getting judged – yes, I have eight children and I would never change that for dear life,” she said.

Australia’s rental ‘red zones’ revealed

Data analysis released last month revealed Australia’s “red zones” where prices have surged ahead of wage increases.

The analysis came as part of the Everybody’s Home campaign which focuses on fixing the nation’s worsening housing crisis.

The research references rental data over three years from investment and research data company SQM and compares it with the wage growth of workers in retail and healthcare, with social assistance and rental increases also factored in.

Employees in these occupations saw average wages increase just 2.3 per cent annually over the three years, while some areas saw rent prices jump by more than 18 per cent over the same period.

One of the hardest hit areas was Tasmania’s west coast, which saw an 18.7 per cent increase in rental prices over three years, with the median weekly rent now sitting at $394.39.

Central Hobart experienced a 5.1 per cent three-year annualised change, bringing the median rent to $543.81 a week.

Australia is in the grips of a housing crisis. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Crosling

Perth saw a change of 4.8 per cent over the same period, with the median weekly rent at $523.70.

In NSW, the south coast and the Central Tablelands experienced the biggest changes, with 13.4 per cent and 12.8 per cent increases over three years, bringing rent prices up to $599.91 and $462.68 respectively.

Sydney’s eastern suburbs experienced the least significant change, rising just 2.4 per cent to $791.85.

The Woden Valley in the ACT saw an 11 per cent annualised change over three years, bringing the weekly rent to $697.38, while the southern region of the capital saw a 3 per cent change to $690.84.

Queensland’s western region saw the biggest spike in rent prices, increasing 15.8 per cent to a median of $270.16, with northern parts of the Gold Coast coming in a close second at 15.1 per cent to $835.50.

The Brisbane CBD saw the lowest rise of 3.6 per cent to $556.60.

Southwestern Victoria was hit with an 11.1 per cent increase over the three-year period, bringing the median weekly rent to $473.22, while eastern Melbourne sits at $501.41 after a 3.2 per cent increase.

South Australia’s southern regions experienced a 12.1 per cent spike in rental prices, with a median of $395.90 a week.

Yorke and lower north SA experienced the lowest spike, though the increase was still quite steep at 8.3 per cent leading to a price of $321.88

The Northern Territory also recorded lower increases, with a 9 per cent jump over three years leading to a median weekly rent of $544.23.

Southern parts of the Territory were the least affected – $522.02 the median weekly rent after a 3.8 per cent increase.