WA pensioner Bill Turner chooses to 'live for today' as state's rental crisis hits hard

After a life marred by housing insecurity, Bill Turner thought he would be able to settle into his twilight years with a secure roof over his head.

The COVID pandemic had pushed his entertainment business off a cliff and forced him into retirement.

But he hoped he had found stability in a rent-subsidised home in Mandurah — a relic of a Rudd-era policy which paid incentives to build new homes and rent them for at least 20 per cent below market price for a decade.

Once that decade was up though, tenants like Bill who had benefited from the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) were left at the mercy of the rental market — a situation Bill has struggled to recover from.

"I believe we're deserted," he said.

Rents soaring

Mr Turner said it meant his rent more than doubled effectively overnight, forcing him to dip into his savings.

Then, his landlord sold the property.

He sought refuge with a close family member, until their home suffered severe flood damage and there was no longer anywhere for him to sleep.

Now, more than two years after his NRAS lifeline came to an end, he remains in insecure housing with a short lease in shared accommodation.

"In five months' time I might have to pack my bags and move on elsewhere," Mr Turner said.

For a private bedroom and bathroom but shared living areas he pays $325 a week — almost two-thirds of his pension.

"I'm a pretty positive sort of person, but I do have those moments on my own .. when I feel this is hopeless," he said.

Problem widespread

Mr Turner is not alone.

A perfect storm of a booming population, construction challenges and decades of under-investment in social housing have squeezed Western Australia's housing market to breaking point.

It has led to average rents in Perth more than doubling in the last five years, according to the state's peak body for homelessness services.

Annual analysis of the rental market by social service Anglicare has repeatedly found there were often no, or very few, affordable rentals available for those relying on government payments.

It leaves people like Mr Turner with little hope but to wait for public housing.

He's now one of the 2,258 West Australians aged over 67 on the waitlist, which stretches to around 23,000 applications.

Call for budget action

Shelter WA CEO, Kath Snell, fears even more people will end up in similar situations to Bill when the final properties in WA come off the NRAS in June.

"It's going to increase competition across the state for homes that are already in very, very high demand, and it's going to mean that many people are facing overcrowding or having to go into shared facilities or are going to be facing homelessness," she said.

The state government had purchased some 119 NRAS properties and converted them into social housing, but Shelter WA would like to see the government go further.

Ms Snell said that could include either taking over more NRAS properties, or spending around $10 million each year to subsidise developers to build 1,000 affordable homes.

She would like that to be on top of stronger regulations around short-term rentals and the government lifting its social housing target.

"We've got over 53,000 people across WA that are either in rental stress, who are living in overcrowding, or who are experiencing homelessness," Ms Snell said.

"What we're really pushing for in the [May] state budget is some more fairness across WA so we can all enjoy living here."

Government 'doing everything'

Housing Minister John Carey said while he was "acutely aware" of pressures in the rental market, he did not want the state to effectively extend the NRAS by giving subsidies to private landlords.

"I would rather ensure that we build new stock and that it is secured into the future for community, social and affordable housing," he said, noting private rentals could always be returned to the private market by owners.

Mr Carey said the government was doing that through its "unprecedented" decision to invest in a number of build-to-rent projects — large scale developments which provide long-term rentals, rather than properties to own.

"It does show that we are prepared to get in there and for the state to take a very interventionist role to enable new social and affordable build-to-rent projects," he said.

That is in addition to other state government efforts to grow social housing supply, make higher-density projects more affordable and plans for a second round of rental reforms.

"I want to assure [people] that as the minister, every day I am driving and working the hardest I can to get more social and affordable rentals out the door," Mr Carey said.

"We are doing everything we can."

Options dwindling

Those words mean little to Mr Turner though, given many of those projects are a long way off welcoming tenants.

"I can go to those that are close to me and be open and honest and feel their love and whatever and rejoice in that," he said.

"But when I put my head down on that pillow at night, reality hits home."

It leaves him with few options but to "live for today".

"That's all we can do," he said.