A young Australian woman claims she was forced to move back home after her landlord increased her rent, even though they do not have a mortgage.
Gemma Upson-McPike, 27, shared her plight in a TikTok video with the caption: ‘Rental Crisis Rant.’
Upson-McPike said she had been forced to move back in with her parents after her landlord raised her rent to $450 a week, up from $280 when she moved into the one-bedroom apartment in Melbourne three years ago. .
Ms Upson-McPike said what “really bothers her” is that she is “99 per cent sure” the landlord doesn’t have a mortgage “so that can’t even be an excuse”.
“I know for a fact that he has two investment properties,” Ms. Upson-McPike said, adding that the landlord had owned the rental home since the 1980s.
In a viral video, Melbourne fitness trainer Gemma Upson-McPike complained about having to move back in with her parents following steep rent increases.
He described the apartment as “small” and “not at all flashy” and said it was located in an “old building.”
“Sure, I live in a nice suburb, I’m probably just paying for the location,” Ms Upson-McPike said.
‘I have to pay to wash clothes, there are cracks in the walls. It’s not worth $450 a week; That’s like two thousand dollars a month.
Mrs Upson-McPike, who lists her occupation as a fitness trainer, said her salary was not “excellent”.
“The rent has never been late, my inspections have always been absolutely impeccable,” he said.
Upson-McPike said moving back in with her parents wasn’t the “plan I had for myself when I was 27, but that’s how bad the rental crisis is right now.”
“I’m very lucky and grateful to be able to move back in with my parents, but not everyone can do that, so what’s your alternative?” she asked.
“You don’t have a home.”
He said homeownership was a fading dream for people his age.
“That’s why my generation can’t get ahead, that’s why we can’t buy houses,” he said.
‘I have been paying 20 thousand dollars a year in rent, but if I were to take out a loan for the house they would not see it, since she can pay 20 thousand dollars a year.
‘I have no savings because of what I have been paying in rent and bills.
Upson-McPike said she would try to save money now that she was moving back home, although she would have to pay for a much longer trip to Melbourne as her parents live on “the other side of Geelong”.
“The government needs to get on top of this because the state of the rental market right now is absolutely screwed,” he said.
Many social media users agreed with his opinion and some admitted that they were in a similar situation.
Several of Ms. Upson-McPike’s commenters shared their stories of frustration with rent.
“I’m 31 and I moved back home because I can’t pay my mortgage anymore,” one person said.
‘I’m renting it now. This is the new norm.”
“DW girl, I’m 29 years old (30 in five months) and I live with my mother,” another responded.
“It’s horrible,” another TikTok user wrote.
‘I’m sorry you’re going through this. My 14-year-old son is already worried about the type of job he needs to meet the cost of living and why he will never be able to move. It’s sad,’ said another.
“I’m 54, I’m renting and I’m still trying to save for a deposit on a house,” said another, proving that the problem doesn’t just affect millennials and Generation Z.
“Just started working paying $500 a week rent in a rural Queensland town with a drug house around the corner,” another comment read.
However, not everyone was so understanding.
“Looks like a pretty new car and coffee in hand,” one person noted.
‘Like everything, they want everything now and they complain. PS: I’m only 37 years old.’
“If someone is going to mention the nice car and the Starbucks coffee…” asked another.
Ms. Upson-McPike responded that her car was only a 2012 Holden Barina and also clarified that her most recent rent increase was from $390 per week to $450.
Some in the comments came to the owner’s defense.
“The owner would pay higher municipal rates, increase corporation rates, and increase insurance rates,” one person wrote.
“As a homeowner, I can tell you that the cost of interest, insurance and repairs has increased dramatically,” another responded.
‘So it’s not fair to transfer those raises?’
Others thought Ms. Upson-McPike’s rent did not seem so excessive considering the likely cost of the apartment would be $750,000.
Some argued that their financial understanding needed improvement.
—Do you think that with $20,000 a year you can pay a mortgage? one said.
One commenter decided to provide some dry humor.
“The problem, guys, is that you don’t save money and only spend on Netflix, coffee and phones,” he said.
“If you save this money, you can have the house in 1,874 years.”