Single mum gets a cruel Christmas blow as her rent doubles – and she fears she’ll be homeless on New Year’s Day
A single mother fears she will be homeless in the New Year after her rent more than doubled days after Christmas.
Jakki Brooking, 28, was told the Perth house she has lived in for six years will rise from $300 to $630 from January 1.
The registered nurse could have paid a lower rent under the National Rental Affordability Scheme.
However, the property was recently purchased by new owners who opted out of the incentive scheme and instead wanted to rent the property out on the open market.
“My lease ends on January 1, I’ve applied to houses and been rejected for all of them,” Ms Brooking said in a heartbreaking video on TikTok.
‘I just don’t know what to do now. This is literally so embarrassing.
“(I am) facing homelessness from the end of the lease.”
Jakki Brooking, 28, was told the Perth home she has lived in for six years will rise from $300 to $630 from January 1
Rental properties in Perth have increased by 19 per cent in the past year, with the city also having the lowest vacancy rate of the capital cities at just 0.4 per cent.
The economic phenomenon, which is also mirrored in other states across the country, has caused enormous housing stress for many Australians in the wake of the Covid pandemic.
‘Working as a nurse means that you should be able to pay the rent easily! Where is this world going? I’m so sorry,” one person wrote.
Another said: ‘Housing in Australia is ridiculous, no one should have to pay $600 a week to live in a house.’
A single pensioner said she was also in the same boat as Ms Brooking as she could not find another home to move into as her lease expired on January 15.
Others argued that it wasn’t the fault of the real estate agent or the new homeowners as they also had to deal with sky-high mortgage costs.
The registered nurse fears she could be homeless in the new year
“Remember, property owners have to deal with continued interest rate increases, repairs, maintenance, damage, land taxes, insurance, land and water rates etc,” one person wrote.
“I’m not defending the new owners at all, but $630 is probably their minimum mortgage payment for the loan. My mortgage has almost doubled,” said another.
Mrs Brooking revealed she has since found a place for her son Levi and her cat and dog to stay while she explores her options.