I'd been living in my rental for 18 months when I received a shocking email advising me my rent would increase "slightly" (their words not mine) from $970 a fortnight to $1,400 a fortnight. This is a 44% increase. 

As a single person, this kind of increase is crippling to me, especially in an environment where there have been little to no salary increases in years, and rising prices in fuel, food, gas, electricity and so on. 

I've been told many times I should just keep moving further and further out into the Sydney suburbs or get a roommate, or live in a shoe box. But why should I have to compromise my lifestyle when it was perfectly affordable to live this way for the 15+ years I've been living this way?! Why should I have to explain myself!

Like many renters in NSW, I was under the misinformation that rental increases were capped at 10% in NSW. I swear I've read it before many times! Much to my shock, there is no such rule and landlords have the freedom to increase the price to whatever they like every 6 months.

While I understand the pressures rising interest rates bring, I believe this is extremely unfair to pass the pressure onto renters when they are the ones who own the investment and stand to profit from it in the long run when they sell. As renters, we are under the same pressures as everyone else and the economy needs us to rent properties - after all what good is an investment property without us!? These shocking increases also come at a time when Investors can capitalise on the struggle of renters in a housing crisis that is affecting millions of people around Australia.

Over the years, with all the natural disasters making people homeless, migration reopened after COVID, properties being removed from the rental market to become Airbnb's or short stay accommodation, lack of planning and infostructure from the government, shortage of supplies for building materials and shotty building practices have come to a head for renters leaving us fewer properties available for rent and to rent at an affordable price. Landlords are taking advantage of this opportunity to profit more from their investment not caring about the human impact on those looking for an affordable roof over their heads.

People are fighting over properties and offering more and more money out of pure desperation to gain accommodation in a highly competitive market. Wealthier renters win the properties over those with less modest financial means. What is more shocking is, agents are mostly offering 6 monthly leases at present so they can increase rents again in 6 months. Therefore, even the lucky ones who are successful with their applications are likely to receive a shocking email in 6 months' time with another 45% increase.  

I was happy in my home and while I expected a rental increase of some kind, I was completely shocked at the number before me. This was over half my take-home salary a fortnight. I contacted the real estate agent who gave me a poorly veiled threat, that I was easily replaceable as many people are willing to pay this amount in the current market. However, he said the landlord was open to discussing - a lie - so I made an offer of a $100-a-week increase which was still 21%. I was then told the landlord was unlikely to change his mind. So, I took it upon myself to email the landlord directly and plea my case - I don't always trust the motivations of estate agents - only to receive a call from the agent telling me the landlord said to keep communications between the agency and me (fair enough) and my proposal is rejected, the increase will stand as is. 

I am so sick of renters in NSW having no protection. I pay my rent on time, I rarely bother the agency, and I've only had a plumber out twice (due to building plumping issues). Whenever I have asked the agency to fix broken things around the property, I get no response so I gave up and lived with it. There have been mould issues in the building the whole time I have lived here, due to all the storms and a leaking roof, the roof outside of my unit is falling down due to rotting wood. The place is riddled with cockroaches, spiders, ants and all other little critters. There are huge gaps in the glass doors to allow these bugs through - due to shotty renovations - tears in 90% of the fly screens etc. And yet they have fixed NOTHING in 18 months. The list goes on and they have the audacity to increase my rent by 44%. 

Despite the above-mentioned issues, it's still my home. I've made a life here and become part of the community. Now I have to uproot my life once more, pay all the associated costs with moving and go back out there and compete with thousands of others to fight over sub-par rental properties at inflated prices all so I don't end up homeless like, sadly, so many other Australians have. 

This needs to stop. Renters deserve the right to have a voice and be heard. We deserve protection from greed and the right to have a roof over our heads. Whether we are single, a couple, a group, a family or young, middle-aged or elderly. 

It's time for NSW State Government to change the legislation and cap rental increases at a maximum of 10% and increases can only happen in 12 month periods. 

Let's use our voices to tell them enough is enough. We deserve to be treated like humans and not cash cows.