20 housing cost rise would force 76 per cent of Australians to cut essentials, survey finds
Just $20 more a week in housing costs would push the majority of Australians into cutting back on food and medicine – pushing at-risk households to the brink.
Finding an extra $20 for rent or mortgage repayments each week would force 76 per cent of Australians to cut back on items like medicine and food, a new survey has found.
The survey by national housing advocacy group Everybody’s Home polled 1150 people between July and September this year.
It found 76 per cent of people would have to make sacrifices to their budgets and way of life if their rent or mortgage went up by $20 a week.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Renters are being given the worst deal in living memory. Not only do rents continue to spiral out of reach, the condition of many homes are shoddy and making renters sick,” Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said.
“Housing stress is making people’s biggest life decisions for them. People are putting off retirement, study, new jobs, marriage and leaving relationships.
“Many have given up on owning a home. Families are financially supporting each other across generations and kids are going without school excursions and even healthcare.”
The survey asked renters, homeowners, and people experiencing homelessness or living in temporary housing about their lives.
The results say 14 per cent of people could not afford to spend an extra $20 a week to put a roof over their heads; 27 per cent would spend less on food, medication or bills to make room in their budgets for an extra $20.
If housing costs keep going up over the coming year, 27 per cent of people are worried they will have to move, 26 per cent say they will not be able to afford to save money or retire, and 23 per cent fear they could be homeless.
Almost half – 48 per cent – have deliberately cut their energy usage over the past year, 38 per cent of people have avoided going to the doctor, and 40 per cent are limiting their driving.
Again, nearly half of people (47 per cent) said their home was not warm enough this winter, mainly because of poor insulation, not being able to afford switching on a heater, and draughty windows and doors.
“The majority of respondents said they would be more likely to vote for a political party if they committed to large-scale investment in social housing, a limit on rent increases, and minimum rental standards, among other solutions,” Ms Azize said.
Rental costs remain above historically high record levels, despite marginal decreases in some capital cities.
Rents for a stand-alone house in Sydney came down 0.6 per cent in the September quarter, Domain data shows, while in Canberra they fell 1.4 per cent.
House rent prices were flat in all the other capital cities except Darwin which jumped 5.3 per cent, while the combined regional rental price increased 1.6 per cent in the three months to September.
Compared to 12 months ago, Sydney house rents are up 5.7 per cent, Melbourne is up 3.4 per cent, and Brisbane is up 6.1 per cent.
Rent on a unit is also up 4 per cent, 4.3 per cent and 3.1 per cent in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane over the past 12 months.
Originally published as 20 housing cost rise would force 76 per cent of Australians to cut essentials, survey finds
