Evictees starting over - on the pension

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Bureaucrats use measured words to disguise and soften reality. Which is why Today Tonight was interested in a Reserve Bank statement on interest rates today - especially where it talked about 'subdued' consumer confidence.

But the sheer terror of some of the thousands of older Australians now being forced from their rented homes - by landlords convinced they need more money to pay mortgages - is not subdued.

It is the horror of starting over when you are in your 70s.

Paul Medina is 75. His wife, Mary, is 72. They are scared and anxious victims of our housing crisis. They are being kicked out of their home without any grounds.

For nearly 14 years, they have lived in their western Sydney house. The owner kept the rent at $160 per week. In return, the Medinas cared for the home and never asked for, or received, any major repairs or upgrades.

The Medinas' neighbours love them.

"You wouldn't find a better people than what them two," said neighbour Ivan.

Then, last year, the landlord Colin Comber sold the house to his son Mark, who runs the family's real estate business. When he bought the house from his dad, Mark bumped up the rent 30 per cent - or $50 per week.

Paul and Mary's only luxuries now are visits from their two children and bingo at the local RSL. Between them, they have survived a stroke, cancer, prostate surgery, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Now they are not sure they can cope with having to move from what they thought would be their last home.

Today Tonight caught up with Mark Comber, who said he needed to renovate the house and had told the Medinas so.

“Yes, definitely, I went up and handed personally the notice to Mr Medina," Mr Comber said.

"But obviously he was a bit upset, he's been in the home a long time. And I need to protect the property and I need to protect my asset."

"I still have a mortgage to pay on that property. I need to get the best possible return that I can get on that property to pay my mortgage. Everyone's finding it hard."

Things are tough all over, never more so than when you're 70-plus and starting over.

"We don't think it's fair," said Chris Martin of the NSW Tenants Union.

"We think, without grounds, notices don't have a place in fair renting laws," Mr Martin said.

The Tenants Union is campaigning for all states and territories to match the law in Tasmania, where termination notices have to include a fair reason for kicking the tenants out.

"It's not fair that they're able to give notices without grounds, because that gives to cover to terminations for all sorts of bad reasons," Mr Martin said.

Among those reasons is simply getting rid of the current tenants to get higher-paying tenants in.

In Queensland, residents at the Gateway Village Caravan Park at Rochedale in Brisbane's South are protesting a rent hike of $65 per fortnight - a 22 per cent jump.

For all here, the cost of living is near life-threatening. Resident Rita Podger said there's the rent, then there's: "Insurance, food, phone, electricity, which is all separate. And there's very little left over - and that means about $5."

Worse still, the value of their homes is falling. So, they are trapped paying more, while the landlord makes a mint.

"The ordinary pensioner, that's on a single pension, he puts it up to that price - I don't know how they're going to live, eat and pay their way," said another resident.

Resident Neville Beacroft spoke of upset neighbours.

"I had a woman on the phone, rang me a couple of nights ago, she was nearly in tears, she asked me what she could do and I didn't have an answer for her," Mr Beacroft said.

There are not enough new houses to rent out and there are fewer existing rental properties up for grabs.

"The market is freezing up," explained Chris Martin.

"We've noticed that people are staying put in their rental properties. There's not nearly the same amount of turnover of rentals."

Then last year, rents jumped up to 7 per cent across the board, more than double the rate of inflation, all combining to leave low income earners, especially pensioners like Rita Podger, in the lurch."

"It's the $64,000 question, isn't it?" Rita said. "I mean, where do we go?"

Story information

NSW Tenants Union
Call: 1800 251 101
www.tenants.org.au

Tenants Advice Service WA
Metro: 08 9221 0088 (Mon-Fri 8.30am-3.30pm)
Country Freecall: 1800 621 888 (Mon-Fri 1pm-3.30pm)
www.taswa.org
PO Box 6057, East Perth WA 6849

Tenants Union ACT
Tenants' Advice Service (02)6247 2011
www.tenantsact.org.au
PO Box 8, Civic Square ACT 2608

Tenants Union of Queensland
(07)3257 1108
1800 177 761 (outside Brisbane)
www.tuq.org.au

Tenants Union of Victoria:
(03) 9416 2577
www.tuv.org.au

Tenants Union of Tasmania
Advice Line: 1300 652 641
Hobart Area: 6223 2641
www.tutas.org.au
166 Macquarie Street, Hobart TAS, 7000