Pensioner, 78, reveals her landlord’s staggering rent hike – even though she keeps Melbourne home ‘spotless’: ‘I’m proud of where I live’

An Australian retiree has been hit with a huge rent increase for her home, despite keeping the property ‘clean’ and paying for the upgrades.

Victorian woman Anne-Marie Petrucco, 78, revealed her rent increased by $98 a week, taking the rent from $232 a week to $330.

Ms Petrucco lives in a two-bedroom house in Mitchell Park, just outside Ballarat, about 115km northwest of Melbourne.

‘I am a 78-year-old retiree. I have been renting my unit for almost 3 years. I think it’s great, safe, etc.,” she wrote on Facebook last week.

“My rent is going up $98.00 a week starting this week. $196.00 per fortnight. I have contacted all powers including state politics. It was all to no avail.’

Ms Petrucco said she would limit her social life, limit the amount of driving and cut back on spending on her grandchildren’s Christmas presents because of the financial pressures.

“I’m not complaining and by the grace of God I know I will survive,” she said.

“So for others in this predicament, if you’re like me, you can’t find anything cheaper.

‘Take one day at a time and have faith and yes, cut back on things. And you will get through it. Good luck everyone’

Mrs Petrucco said she has kept her house and garden ‘spotless’ and that she is ‘proud where I live’.

She also said that, on top of the hefty rent increase, she had previously paid half of the $2,500 bill to have an air conditioner installed in the unit.

‘And I now also pay, for $10.00 every two weeks, for the security door with fly screen at the front. $385.00,” she said.

Ms Petrucco said she felt it was a no-win situation.

But she managed to maintain a positive outlook on life, stating that “faith” kept her going.

“By the grace of God, I still feel so blessed to have a roof over my head and something to eat,” she said.

Ms Petrucco said she approached Centrelink but “didn’t get any more help than I’m getting”.

“Regardless of what anyone says, a pension increase of essentially $200.00 every fortnight is huge. Three-quarters of our pension,” she said.

For a single person, the old-age pension is $1,096.70 per fortnight, which amounts to approximately $28,514 per year.

For a couple it is $826.70 per fortnight, or $21,494 per year.

Ms Petrucco’s post caught the attention of hundreds of concerned residents on a local Facebook community group.

Many sympathized with the retiree’s circumstances and expressed outrage at the shocking rent increase.

‘I really feel sorry for you, poor woman. So unfair, to be almost 80 and have those fears, you can only wish the best,” one person wrote.

‘Bloody ridiculous. What a walk. I’m so sorry to hear that. Blessings to you,” said another.

‘Real estate agents are urging owners to increase rent because property managers get more commission! I’ve seen it happen. They always push for an increase,” said a third.

Another commenter placed the blame on the federal government.

“Albenese (sic) said the cost of living will drop and no one will be left behind, what a load of nonsense,” one person said.

Others shared similar stories of having heard of significant rent increases.

“I know an elderly man aged 82 and his private landlord increased the rent on the granny flat from $90 to $190 per week and now the landlord has increased the rent to $500 per week,” one comment read.

Ms Petrucco said she also discovered that her real estate agent was renting out a three-bedroom house just a few doors away for the same price as her two-bedroom house.

“There’s no point,” she said.

In Victoria, a rental provider cannot increase the rent during a fixed-term agreement unless the rental agreement states that this is okay.

If the lease agreement allows an increase, the agreement must state how the increase is calculated.

The rental provider must notify the tenant by means of a Rent Increase Notification form, which must be submitted at least 60 days before the effective date of the increase.

However, the law does not specify exactly how much a rental provider may increase the rent.

Tenants can ask Consumer Affairs Victoria to investigate and report rent increases if they believe the increase is higher than the market range.

Victorian tenants have lodged a record 5,400 appeals against rent increases in the past 12 months, a 120 per cent increase on the previous year.

The average rental price for a house in regional Victoria is $420 per week.