Rising property prices and a lack of rentals are forcing locals out of the area.
Virginia Price has lived in Beaudesert for 37 years. When the house she has rented for the past three years was sold recently, she struggled to find accommodation in the town.
“I went to several real estate agents straight away and asked them to keep an eye out for me, but there is nothing.”
“The rent has shot up and you don’t get much on the pension,” she said.
On the day she had to vacate the house, she managed to find short term NDIS accommodation in Logan, but has found it difficult to live away from her friends and support system in Beaudesert.
With a rental vacancy rate of under one per cent in a town where over 40 percent of residents are renting, the rental market is extremely competitive and some people are simply being left behind.
According to realestateinvestar.com.au, the average rent for a house in Beaudesert is $355 per week.
Seventy-five year old Jenna Underwood has been told to vacate her rental property by 6 January.
She has lived in the property for three and a half years.
Ms Underwood is devastated by the news and says she is just too old to move.
“I can’t move, I just can’t do it at my age.”
According to Ms Underwood’s doctor, she suffers a number of medical conditions.
“The lack of stable accommodation will be detrimental to these medical conditions,” he said.
Services to assist renters or people facing homelessness are very limited in Beaudesert, with assistance provided by Logan based organisations.
YFS CEO Cath Bartolo described the situation as a housing pandemic.
“There is simply not enough affordable housing in the Logan and Beaudesert regions,” she said.
“There are virtually no options for people seeking crisis or emergency housing, and even temporary accommodation, like caravan parks and backpackers, is unaffordable for many people.”
“We have seen an unprecedented demand from people contacting us for help with housing and homelessness. We are getting calls from people that we wouldn’t normally hear from – not only people on low incomes or who are receiving income support payments – we are hearing from families on two incomes who can’t find a place to rent.”
In the current competitive rental market YFS advises renters to avoid moving, or to secure a property before giving notice if possible.
The Queensland Statewide Tenant Advice and Referral Service (QStars) provides free independent advice to renters and can help with filling in tenancy forms or Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) appearances.
QStars Logan is located at Slacks Creek and can be contacted on 1300 744 263.
