Erina’s story
It was a gamble to sign the lease, but I knew that if the landlord fixed it, as they promised to, the place would be great.
By the time Erina found her current Marrickville flat, she had moved seven times in as many years and spent countless hours applying for rooms in share houses.
A couple of years ago, I think I did 30 applications and only got one interview out of that, she recalls I accepted the offer even though it wasn’t a good fit for me: the room was dark and without much airflow. But, it was the only one I got, so I had to take it.
Looking for a house to share has become difficult in recent years, as the private rental market's vacancy rate has dropped and rents have risen to new highs. Flatmate apps and online groups increasingly post offers with strict conditions on applicants’ age, lifestyle, and work schedule.
It’s very competitive and very particular. People can afford to be picky because the demand is so high, says Erina.
With the sharehouse she was living in at the time, not feeling like home, Erina began looking for a small studio she could rent out on her own.
What I really wanted, more than anything, was a north-facing place because the room I was living in was so dark. I didn’t think I would get it, but somehow I got lucky.
The real estate ad for the studio featured very poor-quality photos that did little to show the property. At the inspection, the first impression wasn’t great either. The place needed work following the previous long-term tenancy. The kitchen floor had a hole in it from a persistent, unaddressed leak, and a broken dishwasher sat abandoned in the middle of the room.
It was a gamble to sign the lease, but I knew that if the landlord fixed it, as they promised to, the place would be great.
Thankfully, the landlord kept their word, and the studio was fixed up by the time Erina moved in weeks later. It’s been almost two years, and she loves living in the building. Renting the flat is affordable (all units in the building are low-cost rentals, most of them studios), but it’s not the financial aspect that makes living here so pleasant. It’s the community spirit.
The thing that's great is the foyer. When I come through the front door, I’m in my home. People are comfortable in the building’s shared space. If belongings get forgotten in the corridor, they find their way back to you. It’s very relaxed, which is unusual for apartment blocks. And the kind of backyard like ours? You basically don’t get amenities like that anywhere. And people actually use the space!
Unfortunately, Erina’s future in this comfortable and safe space has recently come under threat. The owner of hers and the neighbouring apartment blocks has put in a development application with the Inner West Council. The application plans the demolition of both buildings and replacing them with a nine-story building with 43 apartments. If the proposal goes ahead, most residents will be forced to move out of the area in search of affordable homes.
When asked about her plans for the future, Erina says she will try to stay in the Inner West, but acknowledges that might mean moving back to a shared house.
Realistically, moving into another studio is not going to be feasible. There are not many studios out there that offer what I have here. Like a real kitchen. Most of them just have microwaves.
For now, any relocation plans will have to wait, as Erina and the other residents are campaigning to save their homes from demolition. After the DA, proposing the existing homes be replaced by a high-density apartment building, was announced, they joined forces to rally submissions against the proposal. Recently, some of them gave oral statements at the Land and Environment Court during the conciliation proceedings between the applicant seeking to redevelop the site and the Council staff, raising concerns about the appropriateness of the DA proposal. The group has also written to the landlord, asking to stay in their homes and, failing that, requesting assistance in finding alternative low-cost housing. So far, the landlord has refused to acknowledge their letter or respond to their demands.
We are quite lucky to have connected with one another at the DA stage, rather than at the point of eviction, said Erina, reflecting on the ongoing campaign to save their homes. We have time to come together and act.
