A single mother of four who publicly expressed her frustrations over a $300-a-week rent increase has been dealt another crushing blow by her real estate agent weeks after Christmas.
Firefighter Kristina Gram, from Sydney’s eastern suburbs, recently got a rude shock when she received a message from her landlord saying her weekly rent would soon increase from $800 to $1,100.
She offered to pay $975 before the agent came back demanding $1,200 a week – or $100 more than the initial increase.
But the worst was yet to come.
Following an interview with Nine Newspapers, the shattered mother has since received an eviction notice from the New Grande Group to move out by December 20.
The landlord’s decision not to renew the lease was due to “a change of circumstances,” according to the agent’s email.
There are currently no laws in NSW banning this practice and there is nothing Ms Gram can do about it.
Firefighter Kristina Gram and her four children are in danger of becoming homeless at Christmas
‘My first reaction was: how can they do that? Mrs. Gram told me A current issue.
‘How is it still legal to be able to do that? Do they have a heart? It doesn’t seem like they did.
“And you don’t want to talk about it because you don’t want to make it worse for yourself.”
“If it goes up $400 per paycheck, it costs a lot of things. Is it my grocery bill? Do I stop my health insurance? What needs to go?’
The real estate agency claimed that the eviction in the program was influenced by “significant” health problems of the landlord’s parents.
Ms Gram was also described in an email as an ‘exceptional tenant’.
Ny Breaking Australia has contacted New Grande Group for further comment and what assistance has been offered to ensure the family has a roof over their heads this festive season.
Ms Gram has called for better laws to protect renters in NSW as her desperate search for a new place continues.
She called for rent caps as the cost of living crisis soars.
‘What can I do as a tenant?’ said Mrs. Gram
‘No one wants to be the bad tenant, but who should we talk to to make this situation a little better?
“It’s a rental crisis. There are not enough houses. Prices are going up. When will this stop?’
Kristina continues to speak out about her ordeal despite receiving an eviction notice
Landlords have the upper hand in the kidney crisis, with the national vacancy rate at just 1.02 percent, according to the latest data
It is not the only concern now hanging over Mrs. Gram’s head.
At the end of Tuesday night’s segment, A Current Affair host Deb Knight revealed that Ms Gram’s young son had been rushed to hospital after being hit by a car earlier in the afternoon. Luckily he’s okay.
A tenant is evicted every 18 minutes in NSW, according to a recent Fair Trading lease end investigation.
Ms Gram is not the only single mother in Sydney facing the threat of homelessness.
Mother-of-two Lucie, 48, was paying $640 a week before the landlord proposed an unexpected $260 rent increase.
She eventually negotiated to pay $800.
Lucie has since not only lost her job, but has also been evicted from her home at a time when Sydney’s rental vacancy rate has fallen to a record low.
“It’s pretty scary,” she said.
‘It’s extremely difficult to find something affordable. I am the only income for myself and the children.
‘I try to be strong for my children, but inside it is very disturbing. I’m very worried.
‘It’s stressful there. I show up to the rental inspections like last Saturday and there are 40 to 50 people there.”
Mother of two Lucie (pictured) has days to find a new home for her and her two teenagers
Lucie, who has now found a new job, also advocated better tenant protection.
“You can’t give up as a single parent,” she said.
Sydney’s vacancy rate has fallen to an all-time low of 1.11 per cent, more than 60 per cent lower than in March 2020.
The number of available homes in Melbourne has halved compared to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rental vacancy rates are at record lows in Queensland, while available options in Brisbane are less than one per cent.
Renters faced increased competition for homes, while vacancy rates fell in both the capital and regional areas, said PropTrack economist Anne Flaherty.
“Renters faced even tougher conditions in October, with the proportion of rental properties left vacant falling to their lowest level ever,” she said.
Kristina is struggling to find a new place in Sydney while rental vacancy rates are at record lows
