A young dad, recently forced out from a rental property along with his family, expressed feeling like a ‘serf’ maintaining someone else’s home until the owner decides to sell.
Matthew Lorenzon, together with his wife and child, resided in Stanmore, located in Sydney’s inner west, for two years, having already faced eviction from two prior residences.
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.
‘The toughest part of moving every few years is learning how to adapt to a new place, discovering where essential services are located,’ he expressed.
An inner-Sydney renter (above) has shed light on the ‘community’ cost of being a long-term tenant
‘You become a part of the community and invest emotionally in the house, whether it’s planting in the garden or putting up decorations you’ve come to cherish.’
‘Every time you’re forced to relocate, you must start from scratch. The cumulative emotional and financial costs of moving repeatedly add up over the years,’ he stated.
He said people who live in one home have the privilege to build a life in the community.
‘Consider all the local interactions you have weekly, from chatting with a neighbor over the fence, taking your dog to a nearby park, shopping on the way home, to visiting a local doctor,’ he conveyed later to 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.’
