By Matthew Sims
The proportion of Hobsons Bay renters experiencing rental stress has increased by more than 19 per cent over the past five years, according to the 2021 Census data.
Renter households with rent payments greater than 30 cent of household income have been deemed to be experiencing rental stress.
According to the 2021 Census data, 28.5 per cent of Hobsons Bay renter households were experiencing rental stress, which was a 19.1 per cent increase on the 9.4 per cent of renter households experiencing rental stress in 2016.
The median rent in Hobsons Bay also increased from $330 to $380.
In Maribyrnong, the proportion of renters paying rent greater than 30 per cent increased by 11.5 per cent, with 2016’s Census data highlighting 15.3 per cent of renters were experiencing rental stress and 2021 Census data showing 26.8 per cent of renters were experiencing rental stress.
WEstjustice legal director of economic justice Joseph Nunweek said renters experiencing rental stress often had to decide between sacrificing to make ends meet or falling into further amounts of financial stress.
“What we’re seeing more and more is that the amount of money that people have in the bank and from being employed or if they received it from Centrelink is not enough, and it’s less and less at the end of the fortnight or the month to cover what they need to do to make rent,” he said.
“People kind of go two ways, either they find themselves in a no-win situation where they’re falling further and further behind in their living situation or they’re just getting by, but there are things that they’re going without.
“You do have options, you do have sort of opportunities to negotiate and resolve the matter, and you do have other services that you can be referred to that are really focused on the money aspect.”
