Rental crisis hits hard
I’ve applied for 10 houses a week for the last five weeks
A TOWNSVILLE mum lost her husband, then her house, and is now on the verge of homelessness as she grapples with the region’s rental crisis.
But Sabina Van Stelten is not alone.
She’s among multiple frustrated and stranded women who are struggling to find a place to call home as the region’s rental crisis worsens.
Mrs Van Stelten, a nurse, has been searching for a rental property for five weeks. She was told she needed to be out of her Douglas home on October 25 after it went on the market, but it’s been impossible to find a place suitable for her son and three pets.
“I’ve applied for 10 houses a week for the past five weeks,” she said.
“I’m going to multiple inspections every day, I’m on the internet looking for rentals two or three times a day.
“But I have constantly missed out. I honest to God don’t know what to do, I’m going to be homeless.”
Last year, Mrs Van Stelten was rocked by the death of her husband, John Van Stelten, who was killed in a car crash on the Bruce Highway near Mackay. The crash also killed her 12-year-old son’s father, Mark Dunstan, who was travelling with Mr Van Stelten for work when they were hit by a truck in February last year.
Since then, each day has been hard, but she’s trying to keep it together for her boy.
With dozens of people attending inspections, and stacks of rental applications “an inch-and-a-half thick”, Mrs Van Stelten and her son could face being homeless in a matter of days.
Skye Mariner is in the same boat.
The mother-of-three has applied for 20 different rentals since July after the owner of their house wanted to sell. The family handed back the keys to their house on Wednesday, and are currently sleeping in a friend's spare room with two mattresses on the floor.
They’ve also had to rehome their cats, which devastated her sons.
“I’m worried this is just the beginning for us and many other families already struggling just to make it day to day,” Ms Mariner said.
“If it weren’t for our friends making space for us, we would be living in tents. There are currently 11 sharing a four-bedroom house.
“I’ve been homeless before, when I was a teen, and it created so many problems for me mentally. I am terrified of how this will impact my children.”
According to REIQ’S June quarterly report, Townsville rental vacancy rates have dropped to just 0.7 per cent. In June last year, the rate sat at 2.3 per cent.
Burdekin vacancy rates have also fallen to a tight 0.4 per cent, one of the lowest in the state.
Fewer than 200 houses were listed for rent in Townsville online, with fewer than 100 available for less than $400 a week.
REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella said the perfect storm of conditions thrown up by Covid-19 appeared to still have their grip on vacancy rates in Queensland.
“It seems the Covid-19 phenomenon of people moving to the regions for lifestyle purposes is still having an effect on vacancy rates,” Ms Mercorella said.
“With more people taking the opportunity of working remotely … they are succumbing to the lure of moving to a region where they can enjoy a sea- or treechange lifestyle.”