00:00Crunching the numbers, single mother of two Vanessa Bishop is trying to stay afloat.
00:07It's a struggle, absolute struggle, like you definitely have to go without.
00:12She says in the past few years her rent has risen every six months,
00:16now swallowing more than 50% of her income.
00:19I was paying $400 a week when I first moved in and now currently paying $700.
00:24Even as a full-time flight attendant, Vanessa can't make ends meet.
00:28She's now looking for a second job.
00:31We've got people that are double income earners,
00:34people that are earning decent wages that cannot make rent.
00:39A new report by the Make Renting Fair Alliance found the proportion of rentals
00:43considered affordable, those below $500 a week,
00:47has tanked to only 20% of apartments and 3% of houses.
00:52The biggest rent increases have been in the Pilbara,
00:55up more than 500% in four years.
00:58According to the report,
01:00renters there are paying $55,000 a year more
01:04compared to the statewide average increase of $20,000.
01:08The Alliance is calling on the state government to introduce rent caps
01:12and reverse the onus onto landlords to prove why rent increases are justified.
01:17We'll continue to look at what we can do as well as make that investment into public housing
01:23that also lifts the pressure off public rentals.
01:26As the government looks for solutions, Vanessa's forced to look for other options.
01:32One thing we could possibly do is go and move back with my mum, which isn't ideal.
01:37You know, as a single mum with two boys, that's not ideal at all.
01:47I know that once...
01:48She's a little bit too much for the money that has been sold out.
01:50You know, that's not ideal at all.
01:54There is no methodical rentals.
01:55She says, how to sell the price,
01:56you know, to go out,
01:57you know,
01:58and I think that's a very big price.
01:59The price is a bad price.
02:00When you're losing the price.
02:01You don't have to pay in,
02:02so you know,
02:03you're losing the price.
02:04You know,
02:05you're losing the price.
02:06You can't pay.
02:07You can't pay that.
02:08You can pay,
02:09I don't let that.
02:11You can pay.
02:12You can pay.
02:13I don't give too much money.
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