Mother-of-eight reveals how she applied for a staggering 597 rentals – and was only offered ONE… which had a nasty catch
- Mum-of-eight tells how she was locked out of Australia’s rental market
- She made applications to hundreds of homes after her family house was flooded
- She says the only way she got a house was by fulfilling a vendor’s weird request
A mother-of-eight has revealed how hundreds of landlords refused to give her a rental after she lost her home in the recent Queensland floods – before she was finally given a property with one nasty catch.
Nicole Kent applied for a staggering 597 houses since losing her home in February but, after months of searching, filling out forms, inspections and phone calls, some 596 home owners knocked her back or ignored her application.
Real estate agents even told her she’d have to make some huge changes to her life just to get a look-in.
‘They said to get a partner because it will help me to get a home,’ Ms Kent told Daily Mail Australia.
She was finally given a property after the owners heard she was a professional cleaner and demanded she clean it before moving in.
Nicole Kent (pictured) was knocked back or overlooked for a staggering 596 rentals before she secured a home – after losing hers in the recent Queensland floods.
The stoic mother finally landed herself a home but it came with a catch – instead of just taking her bond and a few weeks rent, the rental’s owners required Ms Kent scrub the place clean before she could move in (Pictured: Ms Kent in her home)
The house had been trashed by the previous tenants and the exhausted mum – who was unable to live with her beloved children while house-hunting – agreed to the strange proposal.
‘My children kept me going,’ she said. ‘I felt relieved to be honest and excited, I can now bring my children home.’
Unfortunately, one last nasty surprise was still awaiting her.
‘(I wasn’t upset about the agreement) until I went to the house and saw what it was like,’ she said.
‘I was very angry. The way the house was – really bad.’
The house she arrived in was far from a home and Ms Kent spent her first days at the property just making it liveable.
‘But I kept my emotions aside and looked at the brighter side of things and that was to bring my kids home,’ she said.
Ms Kent, who was unable to live with her children while house-hunting – agreed to the strange proposal (pictured: Ms Kent and one of her children)
Ms Kent appeared on TV morning shows this week as the rental crisis continues to grip southern Queensland (Pictured: Ms Kent in her home)
Ms Kent appeared on TV morning shows this week as the rental crisis continues to grip southern Queensland.
Record low vacancy rates in the market mean its more difficult than ever before for would-be renters to find themselves a place to stay.
Real Estate Institute of Queensland data shows the vacancy rate in the Southern Downs region of the state bordering on New South Wales is ridiculously tight – at 0.1 per cent.
The institute classifies a ‘tight’ marker as being 0-2.5 per cent, and vacancy rates in a ‘healthy’ market should be 2.6 per cent to 3.5 per cent.
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