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A single mother of four who publicly expressed her frustrations over a $300-a-week rent increase has been dealt another blow by her real estate agent weeks before Christmas.
Firefighter Kristina Gram, from Sydney’s eastern suburbs, recently received a rude shock when she received a notice from her landlord informing her that her weekly rent would soon increase from $800 to $1,100.
She counteroffered to pay $975 before the agent returned demanding $1,200 a week, or $100 more than the initial raise.
But the worst was still coming.
After doing an interview with Nine Newspapers, the devastated mother received an eviction notice from New Grande Group to move out by December 20.
The landlord’s decision not to renew the lease was due to “a change in circumstances,” according to the agent’s email.
There are currently no laws in New South Wales prohibiting this practice and there is nothing Ms Gram can do about it.
Firefighter Kristina Gram and her four children face the possibility of being homeless this Christmas
‘My initial reaction was how could they do that? Mrs. Gram told him A current issue.
‘How is it still legal to be able to do that?’ Do they have a heart? It doesn’t seem like they did.
And you don’t want to talk about it because you don’t want to make it worse.
‘When your salary goes up $400, it affects a lot of things. Is it my grocery bill? Do I stop having health insurance? What is there to do?
The real estate agency told the program that the eviction was due to “significant” health problems of the owner’s parents.
He also described Ms. Gram in an email as an “exceptional tenant.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted New Grande Group for further comment and to find out what help has been offered to ensure the family has a roof over their heads this festive season.
Ms Gram has called for better tenant protection laws in NSW as she continues her desperate search for a new place.
He called for limits on rents as the cost of living crisis soars.
‘As a tenant, what can I do?’ Mrs. Gram said
‘No one wants to be the bad tenant, but who do we need to talk to to improve this situation a little?
‘It’s a rental crisis. There are not enough homes. Prices are going up. When will this end?
Kristina continues to talk about her ordeal, despite receiving an eviction notice.
Landlords have the upper hand in the kidney crisis, with a national unemployment rate of just 1.02 percent, according to the latest data.
It is not the only worry that now weighs on Mrs. Gram’s head.
At the end of Tuesday night’s segment, A Current Affair host Deb Knight revealed that Ms Gram’s young son had been rushed to hospital after being hit by a car earlier that afternoon. Fortunately he is fine.
A tenant is evicted every 18 minutes in New South Wales, according to a recent Fair Trading end-of-tenancy survey.
Ms Gram is not the only Sydney single mother facing the threat of homelessness.
Lucie, 48, a mother of two, was paying $640 a week before her landlord proposed an unexpected rent increase of $260.
Finally he negotiated to pay $800.
Since then, Lucie has not only lost her job but has also been evicted at a time when rental vacancy rates in Sydney have plummeted to a record low.
“It’s pretty scary,” he said.
‘It’s extremely difficult to find something affordable. I am the only income for myself and the children.
‘I’m trying to be strong for my children, but inside it’s very disturbing. I am very anxious.
‘It’s stressful out there. I show up to rental inspections like Saturday just passed and there are 40 to 50 people there.’
Mother-of-two Lucie (pictured) has days to find a new home for herself and her two teenage children.
Lucie, who has since found a new job, also called for better protection for tenants.
“You can’t give up when you’re a single parent,” he said.
Vacancy rates in Sydney have fallen to a record low of 1.11 per cent, more than 60 per cent lower than in March 2020.
The number of properties available in Melbourne has halved compared to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The rental vacancy rate is at a record low in Queensland and available options in Brisbane are less than one per cent.
Renters faced increased competition for housing with reduced vacancies in both the capital city and regional areas, said PropTrack economist Anne Flaherty.
“Tenants faced even tougher conditions in October, with the proportion of vacant rental properties falling to the lowest level on record,” he said.
Kristina is struggling to find a new place in Sydney with rental vacancy rates at an all-time low.