By Mackenzie Watkins
It is well known throughout the ACT that finding the perfect house rental is as rare as rare can be, and come winter, with the dreaded freezing temperatures, conditions in most homes can become near unlivable.
ACT is often referred to as one of the worst places in Australia to rent due to disproportionate rent pricing. The land taxes in the ACT are the highest in Australia, leading to some landlords passing these costs onto their tenants.
With homelessness rates increasing, it is worth noting that whilst this article looks at the housing horrors of ANU students, renting crises affect all ACT residents, especially those of lower economic backgrounds. Housing supply has continued to dwindle in the territory, while those that aren’t outrageously expensive often have significant issues associated with them.
In a recent Canberra Times article, Dr Lyrian Daniel, a UniSA Associate Professor in Architecture reported that “Australia has no such legislation. This leaves many people with no option but to endure poor living conditions such as houses that are cold, damp or mouldy,”.
To get a better understanding of how this rental plague is affecting our very own ANU students, Observer reached out to the community through a form. Below are some of the more apt experiences that highlight the Canberan housing horrors.
My housemates and I love our house except for the fact that it is literally freezing. A couple days ago I opened the door to warm up the house because it was warmer outside. One morning I checked our carbon monoxide sensor (that we had to buy because our best form of heating is a 50 year old gas heater) and it was telling me the temperature inside the house was 9 degrees. All of our toes are consistently slightly cold. – Jane*
Had a private listing landlord who was charging more than my current rent (in a similarly located 5-bedroom house) for a 3-bedroom house. He moved into the property in a mobile home with his family of 4 and would come into the house to use the shower. He then tried to kick one of our housemates out so that he could have one of the rooms despite the fact we all moved in together and were friends. He would sit on the back deck and smoke weed at all hours of the day and bring his friends over to our house and have them in our kitchen without our knowledge when we would arrive home. – Matthew*
There have been times where I’ve made one of [my roomates] come downstairs because I’m too scared rats are going to come jump on me. [The rats have] chewed holes in crochet blankets and in my heat pack. – Charley
We have got a bunch of mould on the ceiling in a couple of the rooms that I have had to clean off, also a bunch of clothes have gotten mould all over them. Also a couple weeks ago the water pipe burst and the plumber had to come and dig up a piece of our driveway and fix it and now we just have a bin in front of it because if we drive over it, it might crack again. – Taylor*
Remnants of the burst pipe in the driveway
Clothing that is covered in mould due to the damp closets
Mould growth creeping over numerous room’s ceilings
* pseudonym to maintain anonymity
If you believe your housing conditions or living situation has become unlivable, the following resources may be worth checking out:
Resources
Rent Relief Fund – Justice and Community Safety Directorate
The Rent Relief Fund (the Fund) is an ACT Government initiative to assist renters to sustain their tenancies and prevent evictions. The Fund provides financial assistance to eligible households in the ACT’s private rental sector who are experiencing either rental stress or severe financial hardship – alleviating some of the hardship they may currently be experiencing.
2023: Rental Affordability Snapshot – Anglicare Australia
The 2023 Rental Affordability Snapshot surveyed rental listings across Australia and found that affordability has crashed to record lows. Out of 45,895 rental listings, we found that:
- 345 rentals (0.8%) were affordable for a person earning a full-time minimum wage
- 162 rentals (0.4%) were affordable for a person on the Age Pension
- 66 rentals (0.1%) were affordable for a person on the Disability Support Pension
- 4 rentals, (0%) all sharehouses, were affordable for a person on JobSeeker
- 0 rentals (0%) were affordable for a person on Youth Allowance.
Graphics by Annisa Zatallini
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