A single father desperately searching for a house has revealed how he’s been rejected from 360 rentals – and insisted his face tattoo is not to blame.
Ash Brown, 32, and his two kids have been homeless for five months, forcing them to sleep on a single mattress together at his mother’s house in Adelaide.
The father has blamed the huge demand for rentals for his situation, revealing he is regularly forced to compete against more than 50 people at property inspections.
As a single parent, he says he struggles to compete with multiple income families – and is adamant his housing troubles have nothing to do with the ink on his face after a social media backlash following a TV interview.
‘They don’t give me any reasons, ‘ he told Daily Mail Australia. ‘They just never contact me back. It’s because of the rental crisis. Every inspection I go to, there are at least 50 to 60 other people there applying for the same houses – and I dare say a lot of these are multiple income families and households.
‘People on social media have been saying ‘oh its because of your face tattoo’ but this isn’t the case. Not once have I ever been visually judged by any real estate agent because of my tattoos. In all honesty, the only judgement I have ever received for my tattoos has been since the interview on Channel 7.
Ash Brown, 32, has revealed his struggles to find a home for him and his two kids to live in
They have been homeless for five months, forcing them to sleep on a single mattress together at his mother’s house in Adelaide
‘And the thing about that is, it’s there for a reason, the tattoo that is. It says ‘Blessed’. I got it when i became a single father, and had to start raising my kids on my own.
‘The whole concept of being a solo parent was very new to me and difficult. I was personally struggling with depression with the whole situation and wanted something to remind me every time I looked in the mirror exactly what it is I’m fighting for. Which is my two kids.’
In the Channel 7 interview, he also added: ‘We really wanted to be in a home by my son’s fifth birthday.
‘I feel like I’m failing my kids by not being able to provide them with a home even though I’m doing everything I possibly can.’
Mr Brown’s son Benjamin celebrated his fifth birthday Tuesday, with the father taking his children to a hotel so they could enjoy a change of scenery.
‘I went to three property inspections today and the same story at each one, between 40 and 60 people there, and obviously some of these people are in a better position financially than me.
I know I will be overlooked yet again. I have always paid my rent weeks in advance. I have good references. My previous rental was 5 years at the same place. The only reason we had to leave was the owner wanted to renovate and then sell the property.
‘I am desperate to find myself and my kids a place to call home. I have even written multiple letters to the state premier which have gone unanswered, and 13 other members of parliament.’
Michelle Gegenhuber, Believe Housing Australia’s Executive General Manager, told 7News that more people were currently on the verge of homelessness than pre-pandemic levels.
Anglicare Australia’s 2022 Rental Affordability Snapshot also revealed that only eight out of 6,000 rental listing across the country were affordable for a person on JobSeeker, and just one listing was affordable for a person on Youth Allowance.
Mr Brown’s son Benjamin celebrated his fifth birthday Tuesday, with the father taking his children to a hotel so they could enjoy a change of scenery (pictured at a friends’ house)
As a single parent, he says he struggles to compete with multiple income families – and insists his housing troubles have nothing to do with his face tattoo after social media backlash following a TV interview
For full time workers on a minimum wage, 778 rents were affordable, and for those on the Age Pension, just 336 were affordable.
Earlier this month, research by analysts Compare the Market found 49 per cent of renters in Australia had their rent increased in the past 12 months, leading many to fear how high the next rent rise will be.
The average house rent in Australia’s state and territory capitals jumped by 16.3 per cent to $657 a week in the past year, according to SQM Research.
About 41 per cent of all renters said it affected their ability to save, including for a deposit to buy a property of their own.
Rental increases deemed ‘excessive’ are different in each location, but generally, rental bodies deem increases to be excessive if they are too different from similar market rents, if there’s a sizeable difference compared to the current rent, or if the property has outstanding repairs needed.
The national vacancy rate for rental properties is just 1.1 per cent of all properties. In regional areas, the vacancy rate is below 1 per cent.
Compare the Market’s Chris Ford said it is a very tough market for struggling renters.
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