Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

Bianca Birdsall: "I disagree with your point about the fact that the market is not regulating itself, and that it is the “duty of the Australian Government to do something”.

The market is regulating itself. Demand for housing is being expanded relentlessly by policy engineered population growth and systemic, deliberate shortages in housing stock.

Given the massive demand and shrinking supply, the market responds as one would expect.

 By contrast, this lady bought a house for $1.75.

This issue has received a lot of coverage over the past few years. I disagree with your point about the fact that the market is not regulating itself, and that it is the “duty of the Australian Government to do something”. While Sydney certainly has suffered from some very poor planning decisions, it has almost nothing to do with the ‘Australian Government’, though please correct me if I am wrong.

I am always curious as to why, when people complain about the rental crisis, they focus on real estate agents – yes, some are shocking, but the majority are perfectly capable and professional. The same goes for landlords. Many would probably be more willing to take a risk and rent to less financially attractive candidates if the tenancy tribunal system was less prejudiced.

Your article could have benefitted by taking a deeper look at the causes for the rental shortage, the strong migration patterns, weak building sector, and future plans for planning and infrastructure.

Bianka, I found this article really interesting, particularly because I also have recently come from abroad so I can compare my house-hunting experience here to my experience in Canada, where my friends and I rented our first house.

The difference is astounding. In Canada, not only is there a huge array of properties to choose from, but they are also extremely affordable and easy to attain. Agents are wonderfully accommodating and have flexible schedules. They are enthusiastic to meet with the interested party one-on-one and give personal tours of the property.

Here in Sydney one is made to feel as if they should be grateful to even get a glimpse of a property. People will queue outside as much as an hour before the open-house viewing just to be the first of dozens to hand in an application. Agents are nonchalant and stand-offish, knowing they need put in no effort to flog off the property, because people are so desperate for anything they can get.

I don’t know the solution, but one certainly needs to be found!

You can buy a nice house in Detroit for about $80,000. Or rent one for about $400 a month.

Here's how we have avoided that sort of "problem".

Here's how we have benefitted.

Still, it's harder to get a nice felaffel roll in Detroit than in Glebe, so there's a bonus.

I had completely the same experience. Saturday after Saturday I would rush from one end of Sydney to the other only to see the other 100 people turn up at the next apartment. Even with a guarantee I could pay the rent I was getting nowhere on the rental market. Eventually we found a share house but we are still paying the same rent for one room as we could do for a one bedroom apartment.

Sydney rental prices are nowhere near as high as other capital cities, say London or New York. However, in my research they have gone up in the last year. Price doesn't seem to be the problem...availability on the other hand is the huge issue.

I think the government should definantly provide housing for low income families. Who else is going to provide it if they don't? Referring to my article about the Block, that is another reason why the Block should not be relocated. Purely for the number of people that would be displaced and the lack of housing available to place them.

Good article over all, it covered all the main facts and was easily read through. I enjoyed the personal anecdotes as it personalised the article. However, maybe you could include a few more quotes from some potential tenants just to back up your point about the frustrations?

Bianca, one of the ways the rental housing market could be eased at least temporarily would be for more cabin style developments for singles. I often stay in these places when travelling and they are very comfortable with communal shower facilities on site, cooking facilties and fridge in the cabin. They are also quite cheap. Of course they would by necessity have to be further out which would mean transport costs but if the rent was cheap enough then students at least could afford to stay in such and take public transport to uni. Sitting on a train is a good time to catch up on reading for courses.

An enterprising small businssman could make quite a nice living by opening up a few cabin parks around Sydney by the sound of it. As for me I would not live in or near Sydney if you paid me too, but accept that people do, and need to.

I would think that some singles might just have to live at home longer and why not. NMsot of our generation had to. Some of the houses built by their parents are big enough to support three families and it would help mum and dad with the mortgage. The rush to leave home might just have to be curbed now the economy is in a downturn. I  would believe there are probably a lot of parents rattling around in houses far too big for their needs but I could be wrong. Parents could also buy a student son or daughter a caravan and plug it into the house power if they wanted a bit of privacy. Many house blocks in Sydney could easily carry a caravan. Those young people under mortgage stress could do a lot worse than put a caravan on their block and rent it out.

So to what extent I would ask is current housing and housing space underutilised in Sydney? A bit of lateral thinking to ease the pressure would not go astray.