The housing affordability crisis in Australia has hit the Border region just as hard as capital cities.
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A new Moody’s research report this week revealed the Wodonga townships of Leneva and Baranduda were the most unaffordable for renters.
Tenants spent an average of 36 per cent and 35 per cent respectively of their wage on rent.
Renters in Wodonga spent an average of 26 per cent, and Albury and Benalla spent 25 per cent.
Wangaratta was the most affordable for renters, with an average of 20 per cent spent on housing, but that did not mean it was easy.
The figures came as no surprise to Wangaratta mother-of-two Jessica Jenkins, who was looking at more imaginative ways to afford a house.
She considered paying a down-payment to a builder or moving her family in with her parents to save.
With a three-year-old and seven-month-old at home, the options were not ideal.
Both Ms Jenkins and her fiancee worked and got paid fortnightly to spend a “huge chunk” on rent.
“We have to do a big outlay as soon as we get paid,” she said.
“It’s hard to scrape by.”
Ms Jenkins said her dream was to own a house so the family did not have to rely on a landlord to fix any issues.
“(The bank’s) advice is just to cut back as much as you can and save,” she said.
Rural Housing Network chief executive Celia Adams called on all forms of government to fix a lack of policy in the area.
The service deals with both unemployed people and low-income earning families who struggled to pay more than 30 per cent of earnings on rent.
“There’s a housing affordability crisis without doubt,” Ms Adams said.
“If government doesn’t do something about this, it’s only going to get worse.”
She said regional areas were often ignored for a city-focus on rent, but the danger was money struggles could lead to homelessness.
“Stress about your accommodation places stress on your family,” Ms Adams said.
To ask for help from the Rural Housing Network, call (02) 6055 9000.
