Couple face 77 per cent rental increase in two years at 'falling apart' property
The housing crisis has hit Hayley Ross and Dean Pritchard who were hit with yet another price increase on their 'disgusting' rental.
For almost two years Hayley Ross has leased a "filthy" property she believes is "verging on barely liveable" but now she is being slapped with yet another rental increase which is 77 per cent more than she initially paid when she moved in.
The 26-year-old lives with her partner Dean Pritchard in Pennant Hills — a suburb located over 25km north of Sydney's CBD — and admittedly knew the rental wasn't in the best condition. They decided to move in to flee another "horrible" rental they lived in — which had such severe water damage the walls were "wet" when you touched them.
Yet the property on Pennant Hills Road has since been full of unwelcome surprises with the couple contending with their exterior doors being without locks, more water damage, mould and countless cockroaches.
"[We have a] horrible cockroach problem. I came home the other night, we had no food out and there was 16 at least just in the kitchen," she told Yahoo News. "We've also got the NorthConnex tunnel running underneath us now too, so we feel a bit of shaking every time the trucks go through... it's falling apart".
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Rent increased to $800 a week
Despite the "disgusting" conditions the couple recently received a letter from their landlord informing them they would have their weekly rent increased from $540 to $800 next month. When they first moved into the property in March 2022, they were paying $450.
"I laughed, it's completely ridiculous. But then the panic and the stress kicked in after that," she admitted. "I know it's a big house. I think $650 is the absolute maximum [for weekly rent], but it's just the condition."
The couple have been trying to find another rental since they moved to Pennant Hills but their applications have been unsuccessful as "so many people are applying for the same places". "We haven't really stayed by choice," she said.
Couple fear becoming homeless as housing crisis worsens
There is short supply of vacant rentals at the moment and long queues of hopeful tenants continue to line outside property viewings. Hayley and Dean know all too well how difficult it can be to secure a place and instead are in the process of negotiating their weekly rent. They've also provided a list of issues they would like to be addressed, however, they don't feel hopeful.
"We're trying to be positive about it, but I'm in the mindset of, if we don't already own our own place then we're probably going to risk homelessness at some point," Hayley said.
Renters continue to tolerate unpleasant living conditions to keep a roof over their heads, with the high demand leading to questionable behaviour from some real estate agents and landlords capitalising from it.
"I've got to laugh, because if not I'll cry," Hayley said.
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