Nearly half of Annemarie King's fortnightly aged pension will go towards rent on her two-bedroom unit in South Tamworth when her lease is renewed in December.
As Sydney's housing crisis continues to spiral out of control, older renters in a town just a five-hour drive north-west of the city feel they have been left behind.
Annemarie King relies on oxygen 24/7. She says this costs her around $200 a month in power bills, even after claiming government subsidies. Her rental lacks insulation, so she is unable to stay cool in summer or warm in winter, and her bedroom windows are not sealed properly, so they rattle and shake when there are strong winds, she said.King also requires 24/7 oxygen. Because of this, her power bills are about $200 per month, even after government subsidies.
Jacqui Bijnens, chief operating officer of PRD Tamworth, the agency from which King leases, said while vacancy rates in the region had increased from a record low of 0.5 per cent to just under 2 per cent in the last 12 months, the price for two-bedroom properties had surged. "As well as how we can get even more investors back into the property market, and how we can get more properties built in Tamworth, that will cater to the needs because the supply is not there for the people who need those two-bedroom properties."
"Particularly for older women, maybe they don't have large superannuation balances, or assets behind them, maybe as part of a separation they've had to sell the family home so they've moved into this rental space - and now with the cost of living crisis - they just don't have the cash."Grice said older renters were at risk of isolation and decreased self-esteem as cost of living pressures limited their capacity to socially connect with their community.