Australias housing crisis is one you cant fully comprehend until you witness the conga line itself, writesNaomi Fryers.

AUSTRALIA is in the tyrannical gripof a severe housing shortage crisis.

It can be measured and seen from at-risk tenancies, to couch-surfing,homeless statistics, andtent towns established in regional and rural areas. Between theCOVID-19 pandemicand local economies ravaged by droughts and floods, people are undoubtedly doing it tough.

In a first-world country, with disproportionate levels of wealth, homelessness rates today are indeed a blight on our nation. Further, the proverbial picket fence (orthe do-not-entergate)that divides the "haves"and "have-nots"is a realeye-opener.

Public housing waitand transfer listscan stretch to decades. Victorians can waittwo solid years for placement,even if theyfall intoa high-priority category. Emergency accommodation is also woefully underfunded. Short-term residential placements are at capacity.

For those who look for answers in the private rental sector, not only is the cost exorbitant, but the chance of greater opportunitycould well be a fallacy. The overall picturefor all but the bourgeoisiecan be summed up at best as "ill-managed", butrealistically asbrutallybleak.

With average house prices rocketing to over a million dollars,the Australian Dream has lost its democratic ethos and is fast becoming a dream for the rich.

In the current climate, private rental inspections around Australia are generally stressful.Perhaps hoping this time will be their lucky break, eager punters shuffle from foot to foot outside, open for inspections. So many will miss out and thenperhaps miss out again.

One young hopeful in Melbournes outer easttoldIndependent Australia that she had been on this "look-inspect-apply-reject rotisserie for six months". The strain of applying was costing her real time off work, further depleting her savings.

IAspoke to an agentwho advised off the record thatthe first inspection generally gives 30-odd applicants the jump on those that follow. Further inspection dates are generally a mere formality to appease landlords.

Further, an applicant source who has recently been through the rental process at the high end of the market suggests that properties in the mostsought-after areas have sparkedbidding wars among hopefuls. Thus providing more proof that the old adage,"money talks", even when rental prices are clearly advertised. One would think suchopportunist tacticswould be actively policed out of practice, but egalitarianism does not fithousing's new definition of normal.

At some inspections, potential tenants are crammed into places you couldnt swing a cat, while those exact places look quite ironically like the type of place a cat may be swung. Properties are hitting the market with grossly overgrownvegetation, where the entire dwelling is built on a slant. They, too, still pack a price tag for which hopefuls, out of sheer desperation,arewilling to open their wallets.

At a few open for inspections, among the hopefuls,IAnoted some familiar faces popping up, albeitincreasingly desperate faces as time went by.Some hadsocial workers in tow and several (entire families) would roll up quite obviously living from their cars.

At oneinspection, a lady could be overheard sobbing and beggingan agent about how she was disabled and had recently been evicted, without prospects.By now, one could launch a steadfast argument that property managers and agents should be getting emergency triage wages, because at several openings, more than a few people were dropping their bundles completely.

On the back of Labor's historic win, the Government's biggest challenge will betrying to deliver on itspromise to reform housing.

Speaking with those"lucky"enough to be in the rental market also came with some insights.

Dianne Lindner is a 54-year-old professional and although her family was happily settled in Melbournes outer east for well over a decade, they decided to make the switch to the northern suburbs, where you are afforded a bit more house for your dollar. Conceding that she had indeed been very fortunate in her hunt, securing a property early on and after just ten inspections, she also noted that even on the other side of town, rentalinspectionswere attracting groups of more than ten applicants per viewing. She too spoke to poor property upkeep, steep pricesand outdated images used in online marketing, not at all reflective of the current state of the property.

Chris Armstrong has been renting in Melbourne for the last 25years and never found the circumstances to be quite so cutthroat and dire. He rents a three-bedroom property in Thomastown. However, his rent has soared over 20 per centin five years, increasing his rent by inexcess of $520 per month. This is without any major works or renovations. He noted that recent interest cuts are not flowing through to the relief of renters, suggesting a "hyperinflated market"could be at play.

Chris toldIA:

Perhaps a potential lack of infrastructure planning isanother issue. There is also the notion oftoo few tradespeople, supplies and the expense of materials following the pandemic. But also, the markers of foreign investor ownership and vacant premises.

Whatever the reasons for the housing crisis,the blame game is of little service to Australias homeless population, without a roof or a generator in the middle of winter. This is particularly so, as the list of those at risk of homelessness in unstable accommodation continues to grow.

It is, of course, a sad irony that people are now thanking their lucky stars for being locked into leases and paying a premium for subpar properties.

It seems theideaof Australia as a truly "lucky country" may well be a notion only afforded to some. One only needs to look to rentalinspections to realise that the system issetting up those most disadvantaged to fail.

In a country where our recently re-elected Prime Minister has continuallystated, "no one should be left behind,"there isso much more that needs to be done.

Naomi Fryersis an IA assistant editor and journalist living in Naarm. She is a former editor ofLot's WifeandThe Good Men Project.You can follow Naomi [email protected].

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