Family left homeless after 227 rejected rental applications
A family of five from Adelaide have been left homeless after being rejected for over 200 rental applications over the span of 18 months.
In October 2020, Hayden Coonan, 39, his partner Aimee Kent, 34, and their three young children moved into a home in the south of Adelaide.
As soon as they moved in, Hayden and Aimee began looking for another rental, due to the home’s state of disrepair.
“It wasn’t long until we started having problems with the house — gas was off, no hot water, burst water pipes,” Mr Coonan told news.com.au.
Despite the couple having a dual income and a spotless rental history, they were knocked back on countless rental applications.
“We’ve kept on looking, not getting anywhere, there’s no rhyme or reason [to the rejections],” he added. “You never anticipate it taking this long. It just dragged on and on.”
The couple and their kids were evicted from their property recently on the basis of a no reason termination, although the couple suspect the property’s need for major maintenance could explain the sudden eviction.
Now, Hayden, Aimee and their kids are homeless.
The family are unable to live in their car or a potential caravan, as their two eldest children have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, while the youngest child has a degenerative physical disability.
For now, they are staying with Aimee’s mother while they work out a plan.
“We’re there for now. It’s a three-bedroom house, there’s eight of us there,” Mr Coonan said.
While applying for properties, Hayden noted that they were often given “glowing references” by a real estate agent, and still got knocked back on a lease.
In addition to this, homes would often be leased for much higher than the asking price.
“There are properties being advertised for $380 [which is in their price range], they eventually go for $480,” he recalled.
As they continue to apply for rental properties, Mr Coonan and Ms Kent have been placed on a high priority list for social housing.
Image credits: news.com.au