On a chilly autumn morning in Perth, 26-year-old Madi sits in a courtyard, wrapped in her pyjamas and cradling a warm cup of coffee. She gazes at the grey sky through the swaying tree branches, waiting for her early phone interview with ABC RN’s All in the Mind. Madi is outside to avoid disturbing the rest of the household, having recently moved in with her partner’s family. Although grateful for the shelter, the situation is far from ideal.
“As accommodating as everyone is, and as loving and caring as everyone is, you just feel like you’re stepping on someone’s territory and invading their space,” Madi shares.
Forced by necessity, Madi and her partner relocated after numerous unsuccessful rental applications. They endured long queues of desperate home seekers, fiercely competing for overpriced and often substandard properties. One such place, dark and dusty, felt “like someone had died in there,” she recalls. Even finding a lease longer than six months was a rare stroke of luck.
Despite both holding full-time jobs, Madi and her partner faced repeated rejections. She felt as if she was either begging for a home or having to “sell” herself to real estate agents “like a product or a service,” a degrading experience that left her feeling responsible for the situation. “It’s just really crushing,” she says.
Madi’s experience is increasingly common, and research suggests that the psychological toll of the rental crisis can profoundly affect one’s mental health, self-esteem, and outlook on the future.
Housing Crisis Linked to Poor Mental Health
In 2011, Melbourne University social epidemiologist Rebecca Bentley conducted her first study on the connection between the housing crisis and mental health. She examined the psychological impact of rising rents and mortgages on low- and middle-income earners, finding that those spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing were more susceptible to anxiety and depression.
“We actually saw, at the population level, a negative impact on their mental health,” says Professor Bentley. “It was definitely an issue that affected lower income households or median income households more. But now I think it’s much more global. Even people who are earning a decent income are still struggling in the housing market.”
Today, home ownership remains increasingly out of reach, while median rents have hit record highs and vacancy rates have plummeted to record lows. Professor Bentley’s research indicates that renters are more likely to experience negative mental health effects from housing stress. Furthermore, she has identified a phenomenon she calls “double precarity”—the combination of insecure housing and insecure employment—which exacerbates the adverse consequences for mental health and wellbeing.
The rental crisis, therefore, is not just a financial burden but a significant mental health issue, affecting individuals’ sense of stability and future prospects. As Madi’s story illustrates, the personal and psychological costs of this crisis are profound, urging a need for broader awareness and systemic solutions.
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