APRIL 3, 2019 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
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Rent rise fear for families ‘‘
Affordable private housing is hard to find - Natalie Rutherford
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levels of housing stress experienced by vulnerable families. “A family with two children receiving Newstart, an income of $793, and renting a three-bedroom house in Keilor pays more than 44 per cent of their income just to put a roof over their heads,” she said. “Affordable private housing is hard to find, badly maintained and expensive to heat.” Brad Teal director Brad Teal said a generational change was occurring in Keilor. “It’s the end of the generational cycles where people are moving out of homes and putting them on the rental market for the first time,” he said. “There are rental opportunities on big blocks that have a potential future of being knocked down and rebuilt.” – Domain with Goya Dmytryshchak
MariaM KHodr
Hope’s helping hand in Newport The outpouring of support following the Christchurch shooting has restored hope in humanity, says Mariam Khodr of the Australian Islamic Centre. She has organised a family day at the Newport centre to “continue strengthening our relationship with each other”. “The purpose of the event is to promote unity and give parents and children an enjoyable day out these school holidays,” Ms Khodr said. “There’ll be rides, food trucks, entertainment and a haka performance to commemorate the lives lost in the Christchurch terror attacks.” The event will be on Sunday, April 7, from 11am-5pm at the Australian Islamic Centre, 23-27 Blenheim Road, Newport. Goya Dmytryshchak
12415478-ACM16-19 100757-01
Rents in some traditionally affordable Melbourne suburbs have increased at the same rate as some of the city’s most prestigious in the past year, sparking alarm from advocates who fear increased rental stress among families. Median weekly rents increased by 15 per cent in Keilor ($400 to $460 a week) in the past year compared with 5.6 per cent in Craigieburn ($360 to $380) and 6.3 per cent in Williamstown (from $480 to $510). Rents in the same period in Malvern increased by 7.6 per cent and by 7.5 per cent in Albert Park and Middle Park. Inner-city rents, on the other hand, have declined the most amid Melbourne’s cooling house prices, new Department of Health and Human Services figures show. In the past five years, Yarraville and Seddon experienced rent increases of 20.8 per cent ($385 to $465 a week), overtaking suburbs such as Ivanhoe on 20.3 per cent ($385 to $463). Greg Hocking Elly Partners director Wayne Elly said the inner-west rises were driven by people wanting to live near the city and banks tightening lending. “Yarraville and Seddon … because of the proximity to the city, and obviously in the last 12 months, as finance has gotten a little bit harder to obtain and the urgency of the property market’s dropped off a little bit about purchasing, more people have gone towards the rental market in the short term,” he said. “For the Williamstown market, rents generally jump when prices stabilise because less people are buying.” Traditionally affordable Werribee
and Hoppers Crossing recorded 24.1 per cent rent growth ($290 to $360). That growth in prices is behind only Thornbury and Armadale, the department’s December, 2018, Rental Report shows. Keilor’s 15 per cent growth in the past year was particularly stark given its five-year growth from 2013 to 2018 of 21.7 per cent was the sixth highest across the city. Tenants Victoria policy officer Natalie Rutherford said the sharp rise in rents in fringe areas increased the
(Damjan Janevski)
By Jim Malo
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