For Pimpama tenant Chris Licina, the situation he finds himself in has become “quite scary.”
“It seems to be continuing, in the last two years the rent has gone up $170 a week,” Licina said.
“What we’re going through is pretty scary and I can’t see where it will stop.”
A 20 percent raise isn’t money Licina can find at the push of a button, so now he and his wife are facing being thrown out on the streets.
While the government announced this week that it is seriously considering rent caps, that’s little consolation for Licina, whose lease is ending soon.
But even moving could result in another big hit to your wallet, with some movers raising their prices by 20 percent in recent years.
“Staffing: We struggle to find movers that actually do the job; that and gasoline are the main drivers of our price increases,” said mover Ben Sievwright.
“There are a lot of last-minute calls from people who have been given rent increases saying I can’t afford to move so they don’t have a choice,” said move-in specialist Jennie Sievwright.
Industry professionals warn that there are often hidden dangers to those who choose super cheap removal services they find online.
“They’ll take your furniture and hold you for ransom…or just destroy everything or drag it around all day,” Ben Sievwright said.
“Just do some research on the company, find out what truck they’re sending you, find out if their guys are casual workers or long-term employees, have they done that before?”
