A recent provides an insight into the lives of the 2.6 million Australian households who now live in rented houses.
According to the survey of 1547 renters, more than 51 per cent claimed they were living in homes that needed repairs, but 68 per cent feared that if they asked their landlords for the work, they’d either be evicted or worse blacklisted in the records.
The unsettling report tells the story of a growing renter cohort, some of whom have reached out to SBS Punjabi to share their ‘horrifying’ experiences.
Mansi Khurrana who lived in a rental house in Hobart – the most unaffordable capital city for renters in Australia, told SBS Punjabi that she and her husband have been living in a house with black mould and roach infestations since the past two years. 
But despite the poor condition of the house, she is in not even thinking about moving out.
Cockroach infestation in the kitchen (file photo) Source: ABC Australia
“It’s better than living on the streets,” she says.
“I am not ashamed to say that I’m living in a house if I can call it a house, that has dampened walls, cockroaches desiccating within light fixtures and clogged showers,” said Ms Khurrana.
“But having said that, I’m at least relieved that we have a roof to live under, unlike a close family friend who went back to India after struggling for a year because he couldn’t find a suitable house to live in with his family of four,” she added.
A recently-arrived Indian migrant in Melbourne, Surinder Parkash told SBS Punjabi that he had to delay bringing his newly-wedded wife to Australia just because he couldn’t find accommodation in time.
“It took me three whole months to find a rental home. I became a couch surfer quite literally,’ Mr Prakash said.
“In those circumstances where you can’t find a home mainly because I was new and didn’t have any rental history, who would actually care to check if the house was liveable. All I needed was a roof over my head,” he added.
Now, he and his wife live in an eleven-year-old unit which Mr Prakash claims has no heat insulation, a dysfunctional oven, no fire alarm and a broken window. 
Another Indian migrant who wants to remain anonymous for fear of her landlord’s reaction sent us the pictures of her western Sydney rental home.
Black mould covers the kitchen cupboards Source: SBS
These pictures show the walls infested with black mould, a patchy ceiling due to dampness and the shower base held together with an adhesive tape.
“If given a choice, I’d move out right away,” said the frustrated tenant who is sharing the house with a young couple who are expecting their first child.
“I’m really concerned about her health."
She says she cannot “pester” her landlord to fix everything because she fears he would give the house to somebody “less demanding.”
Melbourne-based real estate agent Manjinder Singh said he had 33 applicants vying for a three-bedroom house in the northern suburb of Craigieburn.
“I was flooded with calls within minutes of posting the advertisement and trust me when I say that. People were literally begging and were ready to pay $500 above the rent we had listed,” Mr Singh said.
The reason being, the house was relatively new and in a ‘liveable’ condition, “something that is hard to find,” he added.
Rental laws across Australia:
Across Australia, strict laws exist to safeguard the interests of renters, outlining what a rental property should contain or provide for tenants.
In 2018, the Victorian Government passed the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill which included more than 130 reforms including requirements of a functioning toilet, adequate hot and cold water connections in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry, external windows with functional locks amongst a few.
The landlord must make sure the premises and surrounding property are habitable and meet all relevant health and safety requirements.
In SA, WA, QLD and Tasmania, governments have elaborate minimum standards for the quality of rental properties.
