Couples looking to buy their own home are inadvertently preventing low-income Border families from getting a rental.
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It is a trend that has been witnessed both in this region and in other parts of Australia.
Rural Housing Network client services manager Catherine Jefferies said declining housing affordability on the Border was having a “significant” impact on many struggling families.
Mrs Jefferies said that was because it was such a competitive rental market, especially in Wodonga – which was known for its shortage of properties.
“You’ll have a low-income family vying for the same property as a double-income couple,” she said.
“Often the latter are people trying to save money for a deposit on their home.”
That issue has been addressed since last November via a state government-funded rental advocate program through Rural Housing involving up to 40 clients a month.
This aims to provide negotiations for “a really transparent relationship” with real estate agents so they are more willing to not take people purely on face value, while also teaching clients about their responsibilities as a tenant. Many have never before been in a private rental.
