Staffing of health services on the NSW South Coast is impacted by a rapid deterioration in the rental market. Bushfires, the COVID pandemic and a boom in Airbnb-type holiday rentals have combined to make life tough for long-term renters on the NSW South Coast.

Moruya Hospital-based midwife Heather Artuso, 39, is a case in point. Heather estimates that rents have almost doubled since she moved to the South Coast as a single mum in late 2019. “Rental housing was so affordable at that time,” she said. “Sometimes you would be the only applicant for a house – you could take your pick.” “It is the complete opposite now. “There was almost nothing available on the market when I moved into my most recent rental.

“I was really lucky that the property manager’s daughter was a nursing student and she was very sympathetic to my situation: she put my name forward as a preferred candidate for that property.” A number of factors have contributed to the rental shortage.

Catastrophic bushfires over the 2019– 2020 summer destroyed hundreds of homes, forcing their occupants onto the rental market. Then COVID pushed many Sydney residents to escape crowds and lockdowns by opting for a South Coast sea-change or tree-change, which drove South Coast property prices higher. Meanwhile, major road and bridge projects brought an influx of workers seeking rental housing in the Moruya region. In addition, South Coast landlords have increasingly chosen to remove properties from the long-term accommodation market, to take advantage of the Airbnb phenomenon.

SHORTAGES IMPACT ON HEALTH PROVISION

Heather said rising interest rates have also contributed to keeping rents high, as homeowners seek to cover borrowing costs. The housing shortage has naturally impacted the local health service. “A midwife who has just moved to our area has had to delay her start date because she hasn’t been able to find housing yet,” Heather said.

Fortunately, Heather has family in the Moruya area who are able and willing to help her out. She and her partner are staying with Heather’s parents while waiting for their next rental to be ready. It is a property owned by another family member.

Heather said her income was deemed to be above the eligibility threshold for a first homeowner grant. “However, if I went to a bank, they would be reluctant to extend a loan to me as a single parent with a dependent child. Even though I work in health care and am never going to be out of a job.”

Despite the banks’ inflexibility, Heather is saving for a home deposit and takes comfort from knowing her parents are prepared to use the equity in their home to guarantee her loan. Family help is not a one-way street: Heather’s daughter recently moved out of home to start university in Wollongong, and Heather is helping her to pay rent on a shared house.