Louise Wilksch had been paying $900 a month for her Brunswick East bungalow for 25 years, but now, the 71-year-old Melbourne woman has become the voice of Australia’s brutal rental crisis and has found herself without a home.

Louise had been living in the same address for a quarter of a century, receiving disability pension, until the start of this month when she was hit with an eviction letter.

Brunswick East, Melbourne. Image source: Shutterstock.

'It’s sent me into shock. I couldn’t eat for a few days, and then I got a really bad cold. I think from the stress,' she told The Guardian of the devastating news.

Priya Stern, a 19-year-old Visual Arts student at the University of Melbourne, was so moved by Ms Wilksch’s plight she has started a GoFundMe to help raise cash to support her, despite the two women never having crossed paths. She wanted to highlight the fact that older Australians were often particularly vulnerable when it comes to sky-high rents.

'I don’t know Louise personally, but when I read her story, I just felt so sad for her,' Priya said.

'A lot of my friends are really struggling, and some of my country friends who are trying to go to uni can’t move to the city, so they are travelling an hour and a half each way – it’s very hard.'

‘It is definitely affecting everyone, including a lot of elderly people – things are really bad.’

‘Louise can’t find anywhere else in the same area because it’s so expensive, even though she works there and all her friends are there, and it’s really hard to move, especially when you’re a bit older.’

As we all know, Aussies of all ages are struggling at the moment. According to GoFundMe Regional Director Nicola Britton, the rising cost of living is leaving the most vulnerable in the country with little choice but to choose between their home or pay for everyday essentials.

In fact, there has been a staggering 263 per cent increase in the number of GoFundMe fundraisers that mention “cost of living” and “rising cost of living” in the last 12 months, compared with the 12 months prior.

'The past two years, we have seen Australians grapple with the country’s rental crisis, launching fundraisers for temporary accommodation. Now, as the housing crisis continues, the rising cost of living is leaving these same people forced to choose between their home or pay for everyday essentials,' Nicola said.

She went on, ‘While I am glad we can provide a platform for Australians to give and get help, community support can only extend so far.’

And the problem doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon, either. PropTrack’s August Market Insight report showed rental vacancy rates had dropped to 1.43 per cent in July, with a shortage of available rental properties driving up prices in both major cities and regional areas.

Key Takeaways

• A 71-year-old Melbourne woman has become the voice of Australia’s brutal rental crisis after receiving an eviction notice from the home where she lived for 25 years.
• Louise Wilksch, who receives a disability pension, has just two weeks left to find a new home, causing her significant distress.
• A 19-year-old University of Melbourne student, Priya Stern, was so moved by Ms Wilksch's story that she started a GoFundMe campaign to support her.
• There has been a staggering 263 per cent increase in GoFundMe fundraisers that mention 'cost of living' and 'rising cost of living' in the last 12 months, highlighting the severity of Australia's current housing crisis.

Members, it’s stories like Ms Wilksch’s that serve as a stark reminder for us all to stay informed when it comes to the rental crisis in Australia. Longtime landlords no longer feel guaranteed security, and tenants no longer have the peace of mind they once had. If you or someone you know is struggling to pay rent, you can contact Services Australia’s Rent Assistance here for information on how to get help.

What are your thoughts on this story, members? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

 

[Suzanne rose]

I was once a landlord in the good ole days and my property was real estate managed which takes out a lot of the stress. This was necessary as I lived over 1000 kms away in Queensland, They advised when to increase rent and by how much in accordance with the market. Same with urgent and non urgent repairs which I approved of immediately. Knowing a heap of tradies on the NSW South Coast, this was a piece of cake and mostly at "mate's rates".

Now, for me, the boot is on the other foot, where I can't get the pisspoor landlord to repair or replace the washing machine which is an urgent repair and a condition of the lease. No laundry performed since last Saturday so a call to the Residential Tenancies Tribunal is in order.

I didn't know they supplied washing machines

 

[Suzanne rose]

We had an investment property years ago. A 4 bedroom house in Rockdale Sydney. The last tenant was a nightmare we had to keep chasing up the rent even though it was done through a realestate agent.
The rent was below other rents .

When they moved out we found.

Carpet ripped up

Every window cracked or broken

Kitchen doors either off or broken

Walls with holes in them and it was a brick house.

The ceiling in the loungeroom plus 2 other rooms were hanging down almost like they were going to collapse .why because the tenants stored things up there.

Every single blind was broken

And they received 100 % of their bond back
After that we sold it and it turned us off ever having a rental again

 

[Penny4]

What an unnecessary and nasty comment. You should be ashamed.

Please note that I've previously apologised, saying that I didn't intend to offend anyone.
Please stop commenting how I'm such a witch. It wasn't my intention.

 

[Tabby]

If this RE douche physically assaulted you, I would be lodging a complaint and report it. This is 100% unacceptable , and physically assault is illegal. If he/she did it to you, it's likely he/she does it to others!
Please stand up for yourself, it's not too late to lodge a formal complaint against this person.

 

[LynneM]

Working on a DSP? I think there's 2 ways to look at it. Either the Journalist has taken it wrongly or people are able to work for a minimal wage with getting the DSP.

Yes, i doubt they get the full Disability Pension as they would have to declare their earnings. Thats all, good for her having a job to go to. I am 68 and would love a job, going to try waitressing.

 

[Vinylted]

Oh dear. I wasn't meaning to offend you. It wasn't the plan. It's fairly obvious that there are lots of nice cafes in inner Melbourne. Nothing wrong with that. My 89yr mother goes to cafes.

Nothing was said about her going to cafes, that was just an assumption! At 71 working could mean anything from a job (unlikely at 71) to volunteer work at a charity shop a few hours a week. Judge not lest you be judged.

 

[Penny4]

Nothing was said about her going to cafes, that was just an assumption! At 71 working could mean anything from a job (unlikely at 71) to volunteer work at a charity shop a few hours a week. Judge not lest you be judged.

For heaven's sake. I was not judging the person or trying to be critical. It was purely a comment about living in inner Melbourne. I've apologised, I'm apologising again. I would hope that this would be the end of it. Please!

 

[franzp]

Louise Wilksch had been paying $900 a month for her Brunswick East bungalow for 25 years, but now, the 71-year-old Melbourne woman has become the voice of Australia’s brutal rental crisis and has found herself without a home.

Louise had been living in the same address for a quarter of a century, receiving disability pension, until the start of this month when she was hit with an eviction letter.

View attachment 28593

Brunswick East, Melbourne. Image source: Shutterstock.

'It’s sent me into shock. I couldn’t eat for a few days, and then I got a really bad cold. I think from the stress,' she told The Guardian of the devastating news.

Priya Stern, a 19-year-old Visual Arts student at the University of Melbourne, was so moved by Ms Wilksch’s plight she has started a GoFundMe to help raise cash to support her, despite the two women never having crossed paths. She wanted to highlight the fact that older Australians were often particularly vulnerable when it comes to sky-high rents.

'I don’t know Louise personally, but when I read her story, I just felt so sad for her,' Priya said.

'A lot of my friends are really struggling, and some of my country friends who are trying to go to uni can’t move to the city, so they are travelling an hour and a half each way – it’s very hard.'

‘It is definitely affecting everyone, including a lot of elderly people – things are really bad.’

‘Louise can’t find anywhere else in the same area because it’s so expensive, even though she works there and all her friends are there, and it’s really hard to move, especially when you’re a bit older.’

As we all know, Aussies of all ages are struggling at the moment. According to GoFundMe Regional Director Nicola Britton, the rising cost of living is leaving the most vulnerable in the country with little choice but to choose between their home or pay for everyday essentials.

In fact, there has been a staggering 263 per cent increase in the number of GoFundMe fundraisers that mention “cost of living” and “rising cost of living” in the last 12 months, compared with the 12 months prior.

'The past two years, we have seen Australians grapple with the country’s rental crisis, launching fundraisers for temporary accommodation. Now, as the housing crisis continues, the rising cost of living is leaving these same people forced to choose between their home or pay for everyday essentials,' Nicola said.

She went on, ‘While I am glad we can provide a platform for Australians to give and get help, community support can only extend so far.’

And the problem doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon, either. PropTrack’s August Market Insight report showed rental vacancy rates had dropped to 1.43 per cent in July, with a shortage of available rental properties driving up prices in both major cities and regional areas.

Key Takeaways

• A 71-year-old Melbourne woman has become the voice of Australia’s brutal rental crisis after receiving an eviction notice from the home where she lived for 25 years.
• Louise Wilksch, who receives a disability pension, has just two weeks left to find a new home, causing her significant distress.
• A 19-year-old University of Melbourne student, Priya Stern, was so moved by Ms Wilksch's story that she started a GoFundMe campaign to support her.
• There has been a staggering 263 per cent increase in GoFundMe fundraisers that mention 'cost of living' and 'rising cost of living' in the last 12 months, highlighting the severity of Australia's current housing crisis.

Members, it’s stories like Ms Wilksch’s that serve as a stark reminder for us all to stay informed when it comes to the rental crisis in Australia. Longtime landlords no longer feel guaranteed security, and tenants no longer have the peace of mind they once had. If you or someone you know is struggling to pay rent, you can contact Services Australia’s Rent Assistance here for information on how to get help.

What are your thoughts on this story, members? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

 

[franzp]

Louise Wilksch had been paying $900 a month for her Brunswick East bungalow for 25 years, but now, the 71-year-old Melbourne woman has become the voice of Australia’s brutal rental crisis and has found herself without a home.

Louise had been living in the same address for a quarter of a century, receiving disability pension, until the start of this month when she was hit with an eviction letter.

View attachment 28593

Brunswick East, Melbourne. Image source: Shutterstock.

'It’s sent me into shock. I couldn’t eat for a few days, and then I got a really bad cold. I think from the stress,' she told The Guardian of the devastating news.

Priya Stern, a 19-year-old Visual Arts student at the University of Melbourne, was so moved by Ms Wilksch’s plight she has started a GoFundMe to help raise cash to support her, despite the two women never having crossed paths. She wanted to highlight the fact that older Australians were often particularly vulnerable when it comes to sky-high rents.

'I don’t know Louise personally, but when I read her story, I just felt so sad for her,' Priya said.

'A lot of my friends are really struggling, and some of my country friends who are trying to go to uni can’t move to the city, so they are travelling an hour and a half each way – it’s very hard.'

‘It is definitely affecting everyone, including a lot of elderly people – things are really bad.’

‘Louise can’t find anywhere else in the same area because it’s so expensive, even though she works there and all her friends are there, and it’s really hard to move, especially when you’re a bit older.’

As we all know, Aussies of all ages are struggling at the moment. According to GoFundMe Regional Director Nicola Britton, the rising cost of living is leaving the most vulnerable in the country with little choice but to choose between their home or pay for everyday essentials.

In fact, there has been a staggering 263 per cent increase in the number of GoFundMe fundraisers that mention “cost of living” and “rising cost of living” in the last 12 months, compared with the 12 months prior.

'The past two years, we have seen Australians grapple with the country’s rental crisis, launching fundraisers for temporary accommodation. Now, as the housing crisis continues, the rising cost of living is leaving these same people forced to choose between their home or pay for everyday essentials,' Nicola said.

She went on, ‘While I am glad we can provide a platform for Australians to give and get help, community support can only extend so far.’

And the problem doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon, either. PropTrack’s August Market Insight report showed rental vacancy rates had dropped to 1.43 per cent in July, with a shortage of available rental properties driving up prices in both major cities and regional areas.

Key Takeaways

• A 71-year-old Melbourne woman has become the voice of Australia’s brutal rental crisis after receiving an eviction notice from the home where she lived for 25 years.
• Louise Wilksch, who receives a disability pension, has just two weeks left to find a new home, causing her significant distress.
• A 19-year-old University of Melbourne student, Priya Stern, was so moved by Ms Wilksch's story that she started a GoFundMe campaign to support her.
• There has been a staggering 263 per cent increase in GoFundMe fundraisers that mention 'cost of living' and 'rising cost of living' in the last 12 months, highlighting the severity of Australia's current housing crisis.

Members, it’s stories like Ms Wilksch’s that serve as a stark reminder for us all to stay informed when it comes to the rental crisis in Australia. Longtime landlords no longer feel guaranteed security, and tenants no longer have the peace of mind they once had. If you or someone you know is struggling to pay rent, you can contact Services Australia’s Rent Assistance here for information on how to get help.

What are your thoughts on this story, members? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

Louise Wilksch had been paying $900 a month for her Brunswick East bungalow for 25 years, but now, the 71-year-old Melbourne woman has become the voice of Australia’s brutal rental crisis and has found herself without a home.

Louise had been living in the same address for a quarter of a century, receiving disability pension, until the start of this month when she was hit with an eviction letter.

View attachment 28593

Brunswick East, Melbourne. Image source: Shutterstock.

'It’s sent me into shock. I couldn’t eat for a few days, and then I got a really bad cold. I think from the stress,' she told The Guardian of the devastating news.

Priya Stern, a 19-year-old Visual Arts student at the University of Melbourne, was so moved by Ms Wilksch’s plight she has started a GoFundMe to help raise cash to support her, despite the two women never having crossed paths. She wanted to highlight the fact that older Australians were often particularly vulnerable when it comes to sky-high rents.

'I don’t know Louise personally, but when I read her story, I just felt so sad for her,' Priya said.

'A lot of my friends are really struggling, and some of my country friends who are trying to go to uni can’t move to the city, so they are travelling an hour and a half each way – it’s very hard.'

‘It is definitely affecting everyone, including a lot of elderly people – things are really bad.’

‘Louise can’t find anywhere else in the same area because it’s so expensive, even though she works there and all her friends are there, and it’s really hard to move, especially when you’re a bit older.’

As we all know, Aussies of all ages are struggling at the moment. According to GoFundMe Regional Director Nicola Britton, the rising cost of living is leaving the most vulnerable in the country with little choice but to choose between their home or pay for everyday essentials.

In fact, there has been a staggering 263 per cent increase in the number of GoFundMe fundraisers that mention “cost of living” and “rising cost of living” in the last 12 months, compared with the 12 months prior.

'The past two years, we have seen Australians grapple with the country’s rental crisis, launching fundraisers for temporary accommodation. Now, as the housing crisis continues, the rising cost of living is leaving these same people forced to choose between their home or pay for everyday essentials,' Nicola said.

She went on, ‘While I am glad we can provide a platform for Australians to give and get help, community support can only extend so far.’

And the problem doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon, either. PropTrack’s August Market Insight report showed rental vacancy rates had dropped to 1.43 per cent in July, with a shortage of available rental properties driving up prices in both major cities and regional areas.

Key Takeaways

• A 71-year-old Melbourne woman has become the voice of Australia’s brutal rental crisis after receiving an eviction notice from the home where she lived for 25 years.
• Louise Wilksch, who receives a disability pension, has just two weeks left to find a new home, causing her significant distress.
• A 19-year-old University of Melbourne student, Priya Stern, was so moved by Ms Wilksch's story that she started a GoFundMe campaign to support her.
• There has been a staggering 263 per cent increase in GoFundMe fundraisers that mention 'cost of living' and 'rising cost of living' in the last 12 months, highlighting the severity of Australia's current housing crisis.

Members, it’s stories like Ms Wilksch’s that serve as a stark reminder for us all to stay informed when it comes to the rental crisis in Australia. Longtime landlords no longer feel guaranteed security, and tenants no longer have the peace of mind they once had. If you or someone you know is struggling to pay rent, you can contact Services Australia’s Rent Assistance here for information on how to get help.

What are your thoughts on this story, members? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

Both my son and I are on disability pensions and over the past year our rent has gone up from $350 to $450 a week. We are lucky we live together but finding a place with cheap rent is impossible. We have moved 3 times in the past 2 years. Rental agents have become rude, ruthless and uncaring. Our last agent with Orange Maple properties put our rent up $60 a week and refused to accept the government rental subsidy offered us , he even physically assaulted me because I stood up to him. It is about getting what they want with no care for a renter and their situation, I call it great, maybe the people in government should come and try living the way we do and see if they can last more than a week on our income.

Landlords are business people. Buying an investment property is not so you can care for less fortunate people, it's to make a profit.
It's the government's job to set the market so the tenant and the landlord are happy with their lot. Making the landlord do the government's job is wrong. It's the government's job to make sure everyone can afford accommodation. They should build architecturally designed high-rise apartments that provide some free areas for gardens that the tenants can use, and playing areas for children. That should take care of the shortage of land for housing. They should be priced so that people on a pension (or dole), can easily afford them. The private sector can offer higher class accommodation, and charge whatever they want, but their competition is the government accommodation.
Accommodation should be a basic right, like air, water, and food. Once people have affordable accommodation they can organise their life so that they can improve their life and their children's lives, and we end up with a better society with less violence and illegal drugs.

 

[Singomate]

Louise Wilksch had been paying $900 a month for her Brunswick East bungalow for 25 years, but now, the 71-year-old Melbourne woman has become the voice of Australia’s brutal rental crisis and has found herself without a home.

Louise had been living in the same address for a quarter of a century, receiving disability pension, until the start of this month when she was hit with an eviction letter.

View attachment 28593

Brunswick East, Melbourne. Image source: Shutterstock.

'It’s sent me into shock. I couldn’t eat for a few days, and then I got a really bad cold. I think from the stress,' she told The Guardian of the devastating news.

Priya Stern, a 19-year-old Visual Arts student at the University of Melbourne, was so moved by Ms Wilksch’s plight she has started a GoFundMe to help raise cash to support her, despite the two women never having crossed paths. She wanted to highlight the fact that older Australians were often particularly vulnerable when it comes to sky-high rents.

'I don’t know Louise personally, but when I read her story, I just felt so sad for her,' Priya said.

'A lot of my friends are really struggling, and some of my country friends who are trying to go to uni can’t move to the city, so they are travelling an hour and a half each way – it’s very hard.'

‘It is definitely affecting everyone, including a lot of elderly people – things are really bad.’

‘Louise can’t find anywhere else in the same area because it’s so expensive, even though she works there and all her friends are there, and it’s really hard to move, especially when you’re a bit older.’

As we all know, Aussies of all ages are struggling at the moment. According to GoFundMe Regional Director Nicola Britton, the rising cost of living is leaving the most vulnerable in the country with little choice but to choose between their home or pay for everyday essentials.

In fact, there has been a staggering 263 per cent increase in the number of GoFundMe fundraisers that mention “cost of living” and “rising cost of living” in the last 12 months, compared with the 12 months prior.

'The past two years, we have seen Australians grapple with the country’s rental crisis, launching fundraisers for temporary accommodation. Now, as the housing crisis continues, the rising cost of living is leaving these same people forced to choose between their home or pay for everyday essentials,' Nicola said.

She went on, ‘While I am glad we can provide a platform for Australians to give and get help, community support can only extend so far.’

And the problem doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon, either. PropTrack’s August Market Insight report showed rental vacancy rates had dropped to 1.43 per cent in July, with a shortage of available rental properties driving up prices in both major cities and regional areas.

Key Takeaways

• A 71-year-old Melbourne woman has become the voice of Australia’s brutal rental crisis after receiving an eviction notice from the home where she lived for 25 years.
• Louise Wilksch, who receives a disability pension, has just two weeks left to find a new home, causing her significant distress.
• A 19-year-old University of Melbourne student, Priya Stern, was so moved by Ms Wilksch's story that she started a GoFundMe campaign to support her.
• There has been a staggering 263 per cent increase in GoFundMe fundraisers that mention 'cost of living' and 'rising cost of living' in the last 12 months, highlighting the severity of Australia's current housing crisis.

Members, it’s stories like Ms Wilksch’s that serve as a stark reminder for us all to stay informed when it comes to the rental crisis in Australia. Longtime landlords no longer feel guaranteed security, and tenants no longer have the peace of mind they once had. If you or someone you know is struggling to pay rent, you can contact Services Australia’s Rent Assistance here for information on how to get help.

What are your thoughts on this story, members? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

I think the young lady that's gone to the trouble to help another Australian makes me feel good and helps restore my faith in young people, well done.

 

[Rose855]

What happened to the lucky country .

It died at the hands of the politically correct and now the woke brigade...

 

[Leenie]

Thank you for your nice comments, but I am nobody special. I have been thru hard times in my life, when good people helped me and I guess I just believe in paying it forward.
I only charge my tenants $300/ week for my what was a 3 bedroom house with modern kitchen and bathroom.
It had an absolutely enormous laundry which we moved to a different area and changed this large room into another bedroom
Our tenants are a young couple with a new baby girl, and I would just like to help them get on their feet. In return for doing the lawns and looking after the gardens ( which most tenants just don't do) I pay the first $400 of their electricity bill which is usually most of it.
So far it is working well.
Living in the country everything is very expensive, including paying someone to maintain the gardens, so this is a win/win for both of us.

Part of renting is to look after the garden and do the mowing , you are very generous and paying most of the power use they must think they are in heaven. You get a gold star for this.

 

[Wen46]

Working on a DSP? I think there's 2 ways to look at it. Either the Journalist has taken it wrongly or people are able to work for a minimal wage with getting the DSP.

Being on the DSP doesen't mean a person is totally incapacitated. There are many forms of disability, and we should not judge until we have walked in their shoes.

 

[Veggiepatch]

I didn't know they supplied washing machines

Mine does....sorta.

 

[Leenie]

We had an investment property years ago. A 4 bedroom house in Rockdale Sydney. The last tenant was a nightmare we had to keep chasing up the rent even though it was done through a realestate agent.
The rent was below other rents .

When they moved out we found.

Carpet ripped up

Every window cracked or broken

Kitchen doors either off or broken

Walls with holes in them and it was a brick house.

The ceiling in the loungeroom plus 2 other rooms were hanging down almost like they were going to collapse .why because the tenants stored things up there.

Every single blind was broken

And they received 100 % of their bond back
After that we sold it and it turned us off ever having a rental again

We also had a investment property and rented to a chap we knew and his girlfriend, before we knew it his brother had moved in and his friend a caravan.The neighbor was constantly on the phone with the going’s on. Parties on the roof (low set) wheelies on the lawn , hacking the trees on front lawn etc. we evicted them and found stains on the carpet shower screen broken,and door knobs broken off etc. We sold it as it wasn’t worth the headache .

 

[Veggiepatch]

Please note that I've previously apologised, saying that I didn't intend to offend anyone.
Please stop commenting how I'm such a witch. It wasn't my intention.

Your broom parked outside is a dead giveaway....

Just kidding!

 

[Leenie]

Your broom parked outside is a dead giveaway....

Just kidding!

 

[Penny4]

Your broom parked outside is a dead giveaway....

Just kidding!

Getting highly judged by members today ... so I added my broom to the list.

 

[Leenie]

I am not. The only who misunderstood. Penny 4 you apologised that should. Be enough .

 

[Veggiepatch]

Accommodation should be a basic right, like air, water, and food.

Not like most other OECD countries, Australia does not include the right to housing in its Charter for Human Rights.