A no-nonsense boomer is coming under fire after suggesting Australian renters should “make a few sacrifices” instead of complaining about rental costs.
A Melbourne homeowner named Malcolm responded to a woman named Melissa who came across a property that was “unliveable” while looking for a home for her family.
Malcolm told Dr. Bridie O'Donnell, presenter of ABC radio Melbourne's Drive, said tenants should sacrifice their lifestyle instead of complaining about the rent “all the time”.
The homeowner said he felt sorry for the lady but suggested tenants should stop eating out, buying takeaways, going on holiday and even giving up their pets if they want a home of their own.
The comment struck a chord among struggling Australians as rental prices rise dramatically as accommodation availability becomes scarce across the country.
The homeowner, named Malcolm, suggested tenants stop eating out, buying takeout, going on vacation and even giving up their pets if they want a home of their own (stock image)
The line to inspect the unit in Flemington, in Melbourne's northwest, snaked out of the building's carport and spilled onto the street.
“Obviously I feel sorry for the lady…but these people complaining all the time about the rent being too expensive and so on, yeah, fair enough,” Malcolm said.
'But why don't they make some sacrifices?
'Do they have dogs? Do they have cats? Are they going out to eat? Do they always buy takeaway? Should they go to Bali for a holiday?
'You just have to make some sacrifices, but whether they are willing to do that or not, I don't know. People will be angry when I say that, but that's what it comes down to.'
Malcolm added that Australia is a country full of opportunities to work and build a life, even explaining how he worked tirelessly for years to build his own house.
'I built mine when I was an apprentice. “I remember digging the foundations by hand and wheelbarrowing all the fill underneath,” he said.
'I worked on that house and a lady walked by and said to us ten years later, 'If anyone ever deserves a house, that person deserves one too.'
'We are very lucky in Australia. If you want to work, you can get somewhere, you can build your life.
“But in countries like Morocco, Egypt, Jordan and all those countries there, they don't have the opportunities that we have in Australia.”
Tenants' rights activist and founder of s**trentals.org Jordie van den Berg criticized Malcolm for his comments.
Melbourne homeowner said renters should think about things they can sacrifice instead of complaining about the high price of rent (stock photo, view of a street in a Melbourne suburb)
The activist, who is also a lawyer, explained that an Australian working as an apprentice would not be able to build his own house, despite Malcolm's claims.
'You have people like the previous caller. “I think his name is Malcolm, he was an apprentice and built his house when houses cost 30 cents and a high five,” he said.
“Try to find a student today who can do that? You can't. It's not happening.
“You have a huge cognitive dissonance that's happening where it's the reality of today's tenants, but it wasn't the reality of tenants 20 years ago.”
Social media users also condemned Malcolm for his outdated views, with many calling him a “boomer.”
“Boomers talk about how I built my house when I was an apprentice. Mate, people with six figures are having a hard time getting into the market these days,” one person wrote.
“When will boomers ever understand that housing was significantly cheaper when they were younger? “To think that a first-year student making as much as $14 an hour today can afford a house,” another commented.
“Get rid of your pets is an interesting variation on the rejected AVO hypothesis of home ownership,” read a third.
A fourth joked: “Malcolm will tell us next to give up your kids so obviously no more contact.”
It comes after astonishing footage showed Australia's shocking rental crisis, with dozens of potential tenants queuing on the street to inspect an apartment.
A two-bedroom apartment for rent in Flemington, in Melbourne's northwest, attracted a huge crowd during a recent open inspection.
The huge crowd of potential tenants queued up to view the property which is located in Melbourne's CBD and had a rental price of $370 per week
The apartment consists of two spacious bedrooms with built-in wardrobes, a bright living room, dining area and kitchen
Images posted to social media by a potential tenant showed the long line snaking out of the covered carport and running hundreds of meters along the sidewalk into the street.
According to SQM Research, residential vacancy rates across Australia rose to 1.1 per cent in November to 33,471 homes across the country.
Vacancy rates in Sydney CBD rose to 4.6 per cent, while Melbourne and Brisbane also showed increases of 5.1 per cent and 2.2 per cent respectively.
In the thirty days leading up to December 12 last year, asking rents in capital cities rose by 0.3 percent, contributing to a notable increase of 14.7 percent.
Residential rents in the capital cities rose by 0.6 percent, with an annual increase of 14.9 percent, while unit rents rose 14.4 percent over the year.
The national average weekly asking rent for all properties in capital cities was $692.74, with rent for houses in the capital costing $803 per week and $596 per week for units.
Head of Property and Business Analytics at SQM Research Harry Bawa said that while there were more vacancies nationally, the market for tenants remained 'tight'.
“Market conditions for renters remain tight and competitive, and we see no signs of this changing without more housing supply,” Mr Bawa said.