Mum and daughter buy tent after being rejected by 70 rental homes
A Queensland mother and daughter have been forced to take extreme measures in the search for a home, after receiving 70 rental application rejections and being priced out of the Sunshine Coast rental market.
Jayanne Hughes and her 70-year-old mother Dianne — who is recovering from shoulder surgery — purchased a second-hand tent to live in, in case they can't find a rental in the next few weeks.
Ms Hughes is being forced out of the home she's lived in for almost 17 years, and despite consistently applying for rentals over the last few months she's had no luck.
Ms Hughes said she's "horrified" at the prospect of living in the tent, adding she's worried about telling her mother.
"I don’t even know where to go with the tent and the two stretcher beds I’ve bought,” Ms Hughes told Sunshine Coast News.
“I keep telling her it’s going to be okay, but I’ve been telling her that for months."
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The mum and daughter have only been invited to inspect three of the properties they applied for across the Sunshine Coast and Gympie region and Bundaberg areas.
“Before we even get a chance to look at it, we get a message saying 'sorry an application has been accepted'," Ms Hughes explained.
Ms Hughes earns too much to qualify for assistance from the Department of Housing and based on her own income and mother's pension, her rental application is eligible for $350 a week.
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Although she's accepted they will have to live in the tent with their two pets if no other options become available, Ms Hughes admitted she's worried about living without electricity or a bathroom for her mother.
“If we are homeless then I want to go somewhere where it is safe, well lit and near a toilet for my mum."
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