A single mother was left despondent after her landlord branded her relationship status a “huge red flag”.
Jessica Das has been desperately searching for a rental property for herself and her daughter in Melbourne and expressed her frustrations in a video earlier this year.
However, instead of showing sympathy for the mother facing unsafe housing, one homeowner left an abrupt comment.
“As a landlord, single mothers are a huge red flag… I never rent to them,” they wrote.
Ms. Das shared another video responding to the owner’s brutal comment.
“This is very heartbreaking, just how many parents and their children have had to face really unfortunate circumstances, like being homeless, sleeping on someone’s couch or living in their cars, because of these people’s beliefs,” she said.
‘What happens if a romantic situation puts your property at risk?
‘Over the last few days I have applied for a couple of properties and at the end of the application process I have had to tick a little box indicating that I understand that I am being offered the same opportunities, the same rights etc.
It’s comments like these that make me believe otherwise.
Ms. Das responded to the “understanding,” noting that the comment showed that homeowners prefer two-parent homes to single-parent homes.
“I’m being discriminated against for being a single mother. Maybe not by property managers, but by landlords, according to this person,” she said.
“What is it about my marital status that eliminates the need for a basic human right like housing for me and my daughter or for any single parent and their children?”
Farah Farouque, from Tenants Victoria, said: Yahoo Finance He warned that more and more tenants are being targeted by landlords because of the low vacancy rate and high demand.
“Certain groups are finding it harder, and there is no doubt that single mothers and older women are under more pressure than ever in their search for rental properties,” she said.
Ms Farouque said a number of single mothers had written to Tenants Victoria to complain about discrimination, despite Consumer Affairs Victoria banning it, and compared the rental market to the “Hunger Games”.
Jessica Das, a single mother from Melbourne, was left feeling discouraged after struggling to find a place to rent. Pictured here are prospective tenants at an open inspection in Sydney
Victorian legislation makes it illegal for landlords to discriminate against tenants based on a number of factors including age, marital status, race, religion, disability, carer status, family responsibilities and parental status.
Several single mothers commented on Ms. Das’s video to share their own experiences in finding a rental.
“I had to wait 13 months for a landlord to choose me as a single mother. I have a very well-paid job and hundreds of rental companies rejected me,” said one of them.
Another wrote: “I’m a homeless mother of three. It’s been tough.”
However, owners who commented on Ms Das’s video were divided on the issue.
“As a landlord, the problem is usually income. If the rent is more than a third of your income, the property manager usually throws your application in the trash,” wrote one.
“I’m a landlord and I wouldn’t hesitate to rent a house to a single mother. I want those babies to have a roof over their heads. What’s wrong with people?” said another.
One landlord labelled single mothers a “big red flag”, leading Ms Das (pictured) to conclude she was being discriminated against during the application process.
One Sydney landlord, who preferred to remain anonymous, strongly disagreed with the view that single parents are high-risk tenants.
“Single mothers want to stay in their property and not cause problems because they want to have stable housing,” she said.
The owner said she had rented to nearly a dozen single mothers over the past 24 years and almost all of them were perfect tenants.
Jenny Davidson, executive director of the Council of Single Mothers and Their Children, said that often the only properties left for single mothers are those that “no one else wants.”
“These are poor quality rentals and often end up not being long-term rentals. The quality of the house can be so bad that (families) cannot stay there for long and that can also have repercussions on their health,” he said.
Ms Farouque urged those looking to secure a rental to arrive for initial inspections as soon as possible with all necessary documentation and references prepared.