No room for family living rough
A mother and her four children have been roughing it for the summer, but not out of choice.
They’re living in tents and a car near Palmerston North and the novelty is starting to wear off.
Sharon Baker and her four children, aged 9 to 17, spent seven years living with Baker’s uncle, Robert White, at a property in the city.
The landlord decided to sell and Baker and her family had to leave by October 28. After a brief stint camping at Tangimoana Beach, the family have been living at the Ashhurst Domain campground for 28 days in a group of tents, and White sleeps in a car.
Baker’s car doubles as a pantry and wardrobe, while the family’s fridge is a chilly bin filled with ice.
She has been looking at properties since October but believes ‘‘landlords judge us before we’ve even spoken to them’’, despite having solid references from her past landlord.
The solo mother thinks the family are low on the ‘‘pecking order’’ of prospective tenants because she is on a benefit. Even though she has been to about 40 house viewings, she has never heard back from a landlord despite expressing interest in most of those properties.
Daniel Ryland from the Manawatu¯ Tenants’ Union said the union often worked with people who felt
discriminated against by landlords, whether it be because they had children and pets or were on the benefit.
‘‘It’s definitely a landlord’s market, they are able to cherrypick the tenants they want.’’
He said tenants considered ideal were generally young professionals with a stable income, and with no pets or children, because tenants like these were low risk for landlords.
But Manawatu¯ Property Investors’ Association president Pauline Beissel is adamant landlords ‘‘don’t discriminate’’. She agrees, however, that landlords are at an advantage, due to high demand for houses.
She said high compliance costs caused many landlords to exit the market, leaving the supply of rental properties low and increasing the competition for tenants.
Baker is worried how her children will be perceived at school if other pupils know about their living situation.
‘‘I told them ‘don’t say nothing to anyone at school’, but kids talk.’’
Baker has tried to shield her children from the situation but she knows they will soon start to realise that the family’s situation is more permanent than a camping trip.
Her 13-year-old and 14-year-old boys are staying with her mother in Hamilton over the summer holidays.
She is not keen to relocate her family, as they have been moving around most of their lives and she worries they will encounter the same situation in other cities.
Baker is concerned her family will still be homeless by winter, as three of her children have asthma.
‘‘Camping’s all right, but we really need a house . . . we’re stressing out,’’ White said.