Melbourne single mum left ‘heartbroken’ by landlord’s three word insult

A single mother is left dejected after her landlord labelled her relationship status a ‘major red flag’.

Jessica Das was desperate to find a rental home for her and her daughter in Melbourne. Earlier this year, she expressed her frustrations in a video.

But instead of showing any sympathy for the mother struggling with housing issues, a landlord abruptly left a comment.

“As a landlord, single mothers are a huge red flag… I never rent to them,” they wrote.

Ms Das shared another video in which she responded to the landlord’s rude comment.

“This is so heartbreaking. It’s like how many parents and their children we’ve had to deal with in incredibly dire circumstances, like being homeless, sleeping on someone’s couch, or living in their car, all because of these people’s beliefs,” she said.

What is going on with a relationship status that puts your property at risk?

‘Over the past few days I have applied for a number of properties and at the end of the application process I had to tick a box to indicate that I receive equal opportunities, equal rights, etc.

“It’s comments like this that make me believe otherwise.”

Ms Das responded to the ‘similarity’, noting that the comment showed that landlords prefer two-parent families over single-parent families.

“I am being discriminated against because I am a single mother, maybe not by property managers, but definitely by landlords, this person said,” she said.

“How is it that my relationship status means that I don’t need a basic human right like housing for me and my daughter, or for a single parent and their children?”

Farah Farouque from Tenants Victoria said Yahoo Finance warned that more tenants are facing prejudice from landlords due to low vacancy rates and high demand.

“Certain groups are finding it increasingly difficult and there is no doubt that single mothers and older women are finding it even more difficult to find rental accommodation,” she said.

Ms Farouque alleged that several single mothers have written to Tenants Victoria to report discrimination, despite Consumer Affairs Victoria prohibiting this. Farouque also compared the rental market to the ‘Hunger Games’.

Under Victorian law, it is illegal for landlords to discriminate against tenants based on several factors, including age, marital status, race, religion, disability, caregiver status, family responsibilities and parenting status.

Several single mothers responded to Ms Das’ video, sharing their own trials and tribulations in finding a rental home.

“It took 13 months for a landlord to choose me as a single parent. I have an extremely well-paid job and was rejected by hundreds of tenants,” one person said.

Another wrote: ‘I am a homeless mother of three children. It has been tough.’

However, landlords who commented on Ms Das’ video were divided on the issue.

“As a landlord, it’s usually income that counts. If the rent is more than a third of your income, the property manager will usually throw your application in the trash,” one person wrote.

“I’m a landlord and I wouldn’t hesitate to rent to a single mother. I want those babies to have a roof over their heads. What’s wrong with people?” said another.

A landlord called single mothers a ‘huge red flag’, leading Ms Das (pictured) to conclude she was discriminated against during the application process

A Sydney landlord, who wished to remain anonymous, strongly disagreed that single parents are at-risk renters.

“Single mothers want to stay in their homes and not cause problems because they want stable housing,” she said.

The landlord said she had rented to nearly a dozen single mothers over the past 24 years and almost all of them had been perfect tenants.

Jenny Davidson, chief executive of the Council of Single Mothers and Their Children, said single mothers were often left with homes that “no one else wants”.

‘These are substandard rental properties and they often turn out not to be long-term rentals. The quality of the house can be so bad [families] “They can’t stay in there for long and it can also affect their health,” she said.

Ms Farouque urged those wishing to reserve a rental property to attend initial viewings as soon as possible and to have all necessary paperwork and references to hand.