Our Stories

 

Jason and Lauren are standing close and smiling in front of a red brick wall and white window.
Lauren's Story
Lauren and her partner Jason have been renting together in Sydney since 2016 and have been in their current rental since April 2023. This follows two no grounds eviction notices in two years.
Entry way of a house. Brown front door, with a hat stand with a hat on it to the left. To the right, a table with flowers in a vase.
Sabine's story
"The landlord told me he was selling, he lied. If he had been honest then I would have had options. Being put in this situation dictates your life, you feel completely out of control. It’s not a good feeling."
A woman smiles at the camera, standing in front of a desk and artwork on the walls. She is wearing a green dress, golden headscarf, with red lipstick and golden earrings.
Maryam's story
"It’s very stressful. Every day we find ourselves discussing the budget, how we can manage to stay in the area. A lot of people are struggling right now but they’re not speaking – I want to speak on behalf of everyone in this situation."
Brown and white cat sitting on a windowsill peers nervously around the edge of some curtains, looking into the camera.
Kirby's story
"I spent most of the day crying. I felt confused because I wasn't given a reason for needing to move out. In the end, I found that it was so they could raise the rent by $80 a week. I’ve calculated that in the 12 months I lived in that apartment I paid $24,440 off the owner's mortgage."
Black and white photograph of a man playing the guitar in front of a window
Punky's story
"It's the first time that we have been able to make a home - with all the little bohemian and bespoke pieces we adore. Our home gives us the space and safety we need to create art and music."
Black and white photograph of two children, one close to the camera and the other behind
Max's story
"If we knew we didn’t have to worry about being chucked out just for asking, it’d be great to have things in our home working properly. Our landlord isn’t a bad guy, he’s just your average landlord, but the laws need to change. We need to end ‘no grounds’ evictions"
Black and white cat with green eyes looking into the camera
Ron's story
"Neither pet is destructive or disruptive, but if something happens they have a $3,500 bond, and I’d fix it. In over 20 years of renting I have NEVER had the problems encountered in the last 2 and a half years. You rent, you clean up, leave then get your bond back to use on the next place."
Green paper house
Lucy's* Story
“The agent found it easier to go after her than the perpetrator because they saw her as more vulnerable, a softer target. She’s a 16-year-old doing the best she can in difficult circumstances."
Ron in his Make Renting Fair campaign T-Shirt
Ron's story
"Renters are facing hardship and need help, individual renters can’t do it alone. It will take a village to win the changes we need so that everyone can have a safe and secure place to call home."