Family desperate for a home as group pushes for summit in a bid to tackle state’s housing crisis

MICHAEL Reid and his family are the latest faces in Hobart’s housing crisis.

The Reid family, James, 23, left, Michael, 57, holding Rolland the cat, and Kathy, 47, who have recently moved to Tasmania from Cairns. They can't find a rental property and are living in a tent at the Showgrounds. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

MICHAEL Reid and his family are the latest faces in Hobart’s housing crisis.

The 57-year-old father of two moved to Hobart with his wife Kathy and two adult sons from Cairns four weeks ago. Both his sons have a disability. The Reids are living in a tent at Hobart’s Showgrounds, unable to find a place to rent.

The city’s rental crisis has prompted new calls for an urgent summit.

Hobart, with a median house rent of $440, is now the fourth most expensive city in the nation in which to rent and dozens of prospective tenants are competing for single properties every week.

Shelter Tasmania says housing stress is moving up the income ladder as vacancy rates constrict to just 0.3 per cent.

EDITORIAL: RENTAL CRISIS NEEDS A FIX

About eight families who cannot secure accommodation, despite numerous applications, are camping out at Hobart’s Showground.

Among them are Mr Reid, his wife Kathy, and two adult sons, James and Michael Jr, who both deal with physical disabilities. They are living in a tent. Their furniture is stored in a truck.

“We arrived in Hobart from Cairns, after the owner of the house we were renting needed to move back in, and did not realise just how tight the rental situation here was,” he said.

“When we left there were only six properties in Cairns in our price bracket and we thought the situation in Hobart would be better. We have good records from our last rental property but have so far had no luck despite applying for several houses.”

The family arrived in Tasmania about a month ago and at the time there were more than 60 properties in their price range. The Reid’s were also after cooler climate to help with the sons’ disabilities.

“We will take just about anything and hope we are not still camping out in winter.

“Mind you the boss here at the showgrounds has been very understanding.”

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In February, Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania chief executive Scott Gadd called for immediate government intervention as family after family turned up asking for help.

RAST chief Scott Gadd with one of the tents being used by people who cannot find accommodation in Hobart. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

Colony 47 chief executive Danny Sutton said there was an urgent need to get government departments and the public and private housing sectors together for a summit to discuss and define the problems and find solutions.

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Mr Sutton said the organisation’s Housing Connect Front Door service had received more than 20,000 inquiries over the past six months in southern Tasmania.

“Most of these people are not homeless but are experiencing increasing levels of housing stress and uncertainty,” Mr Sutton said.

“I recently heard of a young working mother who contacted us because her landlord was terminating her tenancy to renovate their property as short-term accommodation.

“She was facing eviction in a housing market where she could not afford to rent and was competing daily with 30-40 people for the small amount of rental accommodation.”

A recent UTAS report indicated that the number of entire properties listed on Airbnb in Hobart between July, 2016 and January jumped from 250 to 876.

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The Institute for the Study of Social Change is lobbying for the number of properties converted to Airbnb in key inner-city markets be regulated. The Institute also called for a statewide planning regimen to be developed to stimulate residential building in priority zones.

The Housing Industry Association says the current housing affordability crisis is the product of two decades of policy neglect by both federal and state governments.

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HIA executive director Rick Sassin was speaking after a report by the Grattan Institute showed the nation’s eight-year house price boom had savaged the living standards of poorer Australians.

“We need to resume the discussion around tax especially where it applies to land and housing and put an end to taxes that are keeping so many first home buyers out of the market,” Mr Sassin said.

“State governments should take on policies like fixing planning rules to allow more homes to be built in inner and middle-ring suburbs of our largest cities.”