Understanding the experiences of van dwellers is important not just for those looking to cut their ties to rents and mortgages, but also for community planners and employers.
Australia's renters have been given a six-month moratorium from evictions for not paying rent. Some states and territories are offering other assistance.
Millions of Australians are struggling with unaffordable housing. It’s a systemic problem that’s been decades in the making, and only concerted system-wide reforms will fix it.
Two-thirds of tenants in Australia rent through an agent, so making a good impression on the agent matters. Certain characteristics count in tenants' favour, but some factors are beyond their control.
The number of older renters is growing – and much less is known about their experiences in the expensive and insecure private rented sector.
Even when sharing a house, the average cost of rent means very little is left over from the Newstart allowance for food and living costs.
shutterstock.com
Once rent is paid, having to live on only $14 a day doesn't cover the costs of job seeking. The evidence of the need to increase Newstart and Rent Allowance is overwhelming.
The seats in 2019 with the lowest turn-out were not any of the youthful inner urban seats but, rather, remote regional seats.
Dean Lewins/AAP
While politicians ignore calls to raise Newstart, alarming levels of financial stress among private renters, particularly in low-rent outer suburbs, show why current welfare payments are too low.
The right to rent scheme has been found by the high court to breach human rights. What's more, it doesn't work, and can prevent society's most vulnerable from finding a home.
Housing policy needs to prioritise housing's function as a home, rather than an asset.
Many tenants who lit up their apartments in the ‘We Live Here’ campaign see redevelopment of the Waterloo housing estate as a ploy to move them out of the area.
Aaron Bunch/AAP
Working-class residents of Waterloo have a history of resisting threats to their community. Many tenants see the redevelopment of public housing as state-led gentrification to squeeze them out.
Super and the pension treat most retirees well, but not renters.
Shutterstock
Most renters are happy with their landlords and happy with the quality of their accommodation, but they would like better security of tenure and cheaper rent.
Highly inflated house prices are more concerning to people wishing to move from renting to purchasing a house (mostly potential first home buyers).
Dan Peled/AAP
Even though house prices have risen substantially over recent decades, housing affordability for those with mortgages or own their houses outright hasn't worsened
Over the past year, there has been a surge of enthusiasm in Australia for developing a sector of large-scale institutional landlords.
AAP/David Crosling
There is a risk that affordable housing policy may be colonised by for-profit interests if Australia imports the wrong rental housing ideas from overseas.