Mum of two sleeping in car

[wylie]

stuffing up once - or twice - is forgiveable.

but 60 applications in 6 months and all refused lights up neon signs.

poor kids.

Maybe I am too naive, but I wonder how many landlords on this thread who think the worst of this woman would approve an application from a mum with two kids who only works part time and whose current address is the back seat of a vehicle?

She said she has kept quiet about living in her car due to embarrassment and only a few close friends knew. I don't understand why those friends didn't offer her more help, but that is all we know. Perhaps she doesn't have family in the same area or perhaps there are family issues. I just thought she seemed distraught but genuine. I know when my brother "ran away" from home, every time my parents found him and offered him assistance, he disappeared again.

It seems I am in the minority for thinking she is genuine (and I realise I could be wrong), but the little snippet I saw showed a woman in crisis. I know how, as a private landlord, I have heard people say they have trouble finding a place.

I hope she finds a nice warm place tonight. She and the kids looked pretty nice to me.

 

[Perp]

I have a younger sister, who despite alot of faults is an EXCELLENT tenant. She is also a single mum, and a young one at that. Because of this, she is very limited in what she can afford and more often then not rejected as a tenant applicant.

I must say I'm really astonished at this. I wouldn't have been surprised 30 years ago, but I would have thought that today sole parent families make up such a large proportion of the population that landlords couldn't afford to discriminate against them.

If this truly is the case (ie that such discrimination exists), then I'll gladly revisit my assumptions; her story just didn't ring true to me because I wouldn't dream of knocking somebody back as a tenant on the basis of their family composition (provided everything else was OK).

I guess what I'm trying to say - not very eloquently - is that I assumed there was more to the story not because I'm prejudiced against single Mums, but for the opposite reason: I assumed that landlords who discriminate against sole parents would be a tiny minority. Therefore I thought there must be another issue with her applications, eg bad references, and the "uninhabitable" thing set alarm bells ringing.

 

[mary&mat]

I agree wylie,

I know I'm a big softy, but I like to believe the best in people too & I feel for this lady & her kids.

We can all make assumptions about why she hasn't been approved in 60 applications, but only she knows the truth. So I will take my judging cap off & also wish that her & her kids find a nice warm place to sleep tonight.

 

[truong]

When in doublt, give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[VYBerlinaV8]

Seeing those poor kids standing there with a cheap doona wrapped around them in a carpark made me feel incredibly blessed and fortunate that I don't have to see my son in that position.

 

[Aaron Sice]

When in doublt, give them the benefit of the doubt.

at whose risk? yours?

 

[Dazz]

I agree wylie,

I'm a big softy....I like to believe the best in people....I feel for this lady & her kids...I will take my judging cap off

I don't agree. I'm not a big softy. I only trust what I can verify based on their written application. I look after my family members. I never take my judging cap off.....it's my radar, my gut instinct, my experience. It's honed and polished and used 10,000x every day to make decisions necessary to survive.

We can all make assumptions about why she hasn't been approved in 60 applications, but only she knows the truth.

Oh, I dunno, I reckon the previous Landlord might have a fairly good idea what the truth was.

I assumed that landlords who discriminate against sole parents would be a tiny minority.

No, there is absolutely oodles of us in the country, have a look over the fence and take a peek.

Criteria is so simple to get a good tenant ;

• Any women involved ?? - rejected.
• Any children involved ?? - rejected.
• Do you place children's welfare / needs above my rent ?? - rejected.
• Do you place safety whinges above my rent ?? - rejected.
• Need a kitchen ?? - rejected.
• Need a bathroom ?? - rejected.
• Don't have oodles of cash ?? - rejected.

That covers most of it. The Banks have been harsh master's, but I am trying to be a diligent pupil.

Pretty much the exact opposite of how the Tribunal member's currently lean.

 

[truong]

at whose risk? yours?

Sorry Aaron. Don’t understand your question.

What I’m saying is that I’m careful not to form opinions about things I don’t know a lot about.

 

[mary&mat]

Not everyone in this predicament brings it on themselves. A bit of compassion can go a long way. Some people just need a break sometimes to get their life back on track.

 

[Ausprop]

Not everyone in this predicament brings it on themselves. A bit of compassion can go a long way. Some people just need a break sometimes to get their life back on track.

yes it's true...but hard to shift the wheat form the chaff. my dad lost his finger in a chaff cutter

 

[mary&mat]

So..... you're saying not to trust the chaff?

 

[Lil Skater]

Criteria is so simple to get a good tenant ;

• Any women involved ?? - rejected.
• Any children involved ?? - rejected.
• Do you place children's welfare / needs above my rent ?? - rejected.
• Do you place safety whinges above my rent ?? - rejected.
• Need a kitchen ?? - rejected.
• Need a bathroom ?? - rejected.
• Don't have oodles of cash ?? - rejected.

I'm a softy in some ways, but being an 18 year old single female who can only afford to pay $200 a week in rent, in a better area - i'm going to join Ozperp in being a cold hard b***h.

I managed to find myself a place in less than 6 weeks, with one reference from my boss, the other my boyfriend and with NO proof of rent receipts.

If she was that desperate she would've also looked privately, talked to the local PM and get herself on their radars so they know her by name.

I think there's a lot more to the story and it also states that the lease ran out, then the property wasn't suitable to live in - Which is it?

If it wasn't suitable to be lived in VCAT would've made the LL set her up somewhere until the place was fixed or she found another rental.

I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, but i do smell a rat..

 

[mary&mat]

Not everyone has your confidence lil skater, sometimes education can be a barrier to people knowing their rights & turning a situation around. Good on you for being a confident young lady who sounds like she's working hard to achieve her goals (I've read a lot of your posts & I take my hat off to you for all you've done in your short years on this planet!)

Just remember, not everyone has a supportive family around them & life can be hard when you're on your own.

 

[skater]

My two cents on this issue, bearing in mind I have heard nothing of it on the news, just this thread, is that if this person has been unsuccessful in over 60 apps, there has to be something suspect. I'm not known for being a softy, however I have given the benefit of the doubt, based on gut feel a few times and been proven correct. My gut is currently telling me Landlord beware.

 

[lizzie]

Will be interesting if it airs on Current Affair or Today Tonight as the "hard done by story" and then the opposing network airs the .....yeah, but......."tenant from hell story" the next night.

you called it player - a current affair, tomorrow night, has the dept of housing tenants from hell ...

 

[BayView]

Hmmm... perhaps I am just a cynical b***h!

If that's the only reason they moved out, and I'm open to the fact that it might be, then I find it extremely difficult to believe that there aren't friends or family who'd at least let them park in the garage and use their kitchen and bathroom facilities.

Looking forward to more information.

Nup, I'm with you on this Oz.

Why do people lose their homes?

because they;
a) can't pay the repayments/rent
b) they were kicked out.

I can't wait to hear the Landlord's story.

 

[AlmostBob]

did not want to tell anyone out of embarrassment

except the tabloid-est of tabloid media

red flag, next applicant​

 

[BayView]

Not everyone in this predicament brings it on themselves. A bit of compassion can go a long way. Some people just need a break sometimes to get their life back on track.

You are of course correct.

However, this woman as far as I can tell has not used her 5 mins of fame to plead her case for someone to give her a job;

"I'm really keen, need the money to raise my kids, will do any type of work" ...and so on.

What a perfect opportunity to plead your case, and there will be someone out there who would give her a full-time job if she was willing to have a crack.

 

[Lil Skater]

Not everyone has your confidence lil skater, sometimes education can be a barrier to people knowing their rights & turning a situation around. Good on you for being a confident young lady who sounds like she's working hard to achieve her goals (I've read a lot of your posts & I take my hat off to you for all you've done in your short years on this planet!)

Just remember, not everyone has a supportive family around them & life can be hard when you're on your own.

Lol, thanks!

I understand there's many people whom have not been so privileged - just sometimes i'm completely gob smacked at how some adults go about things.

Although some people also need to remember:

"Nothing's impossible."

And there's always a way to turn things around, i've had a pretty damn hard time down here in Melbourne as it stands, but i'm still getting through it and unlike many people, i'm not running home to Mum and Dad nor am i contacting the papers or TV channels to plead my case.

What a perfect opportunity to plead your case, and there will be someone out there who would give her a full-time job if she was willing to have a crack.

She'd then lose her Centrelink benefits though. Although, there may be a reason she's not working full time. Medical? Emotional? Who knows, but i agree if i had that chance i'd be trying to get full time work as well as a house!

 

[JamesGG]

Although, there may be a reason she's not working full time.

I'm only guessing, but she is a single mum without anyone to even lend a little floorspace for them at night... finding someone to look after the kids outside of school hours might also be a little difficult. Childcare costs may, given her occupation, outweigh the wages that she'd get for the extra hours.

Just a thought.

And any of the other ideas and theories raised in this thread may well be close to the mark. As it is though, it's just idle speculation.