We were kicked out of our rental after two years – I know many Aussies will relate to what I have to say
A young father who was kicked out of his rental with his family claims he feels like he is a ‘serf’ by maintaining other people’s properties until the landlord decides to sell.
Matthew Lorenzon, his wife and their son, had been living in Stanmore, in Sydney’s inner west, for two years after previously being evicted from two other properties.
But the owner decided to sell the house, and Mr Lorenzon was told his family would have to find somewhere else to live.
The digital marketing manager said he felt like renters were being treated like caretakers until homeowners decided to sell up.
‘I’ve spent my entire life in other people’s houses despite doing, you know, the right thing,’ he said in an Instagram video.
‘Getting the education, the jobs, and I just feel like a serf – you know, mowing other people’s lawns while the value accrues to them.’
He said there was an emotional impact with moving out of a community in addition to the physical and financial costs.
‘I think the most heartbreaking thing about moving house every couple of years is that you figure out how to live in each new place, and you figure out where the services are,’ he said.
An inner-Sydney renter (above) has shed light on the ‘community’ cost of being a long-term tenant
‘You invest in the community and inevitably you start pouring a bit of your heart into the house, whether it’s planting something in the garden or putting up a nail.
‘You know, each time you’re moved on you just have to start again and (start) thinking about the accumulated cost, both emotional and financial, over all those years to move and start again.’
He said people who live in one home have the privilege to build a life in the community.
‘Think about all of the local touchpoints you have over the space of a week, whether it’s talking to a neighbour over the fence, taking your dog to a park that’s nearby, stopping by the shops on the way home, or visiting a doctor,’ he later told Yahoo.
Moving also takes a toll on young children. Changing schools, or even environments, can lower grades and cause distress.
Mr Lorenzon said little things in his son’s routine would be changed.
‘A great example of this is the amount of time we spent teaching our kid to walk home from his school and making sure he could do that safely,’ he said.
Matthew Lorenzon (pictured with his partner) and his family were moved on so the landlord could sell their home
‘We knew he was safe, and we knew he was confident, but every time you move, you have to do that again, and then you’re not able to work from the office anymore.’
Mr Lorenzon and his family have now moved into nearby Stanmore to live with his mother-in-law.
He is focused on the rent reprieve to save for an apartment deposit.
The family had originally planned to take their time to find a suitable apartment, near suitable schools and work.
But their current situation means Mr Lorenzon believes he will have to take what he can get in the crowded real estate market.
Social media users said they felt similarly, claiming the Australian housing crisis was destroying communities.
‘Moving costs an absolute mint too,’ one wrote.
‘Even if you do it all yourself – hiring a truck, rubbish disposal, the terminal clean… and then your landlord still hits you up for cash on the way out.’
