We are officially squatting. Our time was up on the 29th, that was with an extension from the 9th. 5 months, and nothing. By the 27th June, it will affect our rental history, as we are being taken to the rental board. All motels/caravan parks are over flowing with people in our situation. We can't stay with family due to no room. The waiting list with community housing is years ling. We can't even rent a caravan to park in families yards as their all rented. We have applied for homes upto 5hrs away. Can't get a storage shed for our stuff so we can camp at the show grounds.
We rehomed pets, begged realtors, traveled hrs to view. Our rental history is good. My parter works and gets good money. The kids are scared, rightly so, I'm scared. I feel broken, and defeated, depressed, manically.
We are squatting
We are squatting
Posted in:
Mental Health, Anxiety & Depression, Sisterhood Stories, Parenthood Guilt
9 Replies
Well that is absolutely heartbreaking. Im so sorry to hear this. Surely being at your family's house with no room would be better than no roof over your heads.
My cousin's family of 8 stayed with my grandparents for 6 months...their house was only three bedrooms! They made it work to prevent them from being homeless.
My in-laws are selling and they have a tiny cottage., My own mother already has family in our situation with them in a tiny 2br, with cats I'm allergic too. No yard for the only dog we kept. My BIL is also trying to move.
Where are you located
I've been there.
Could you put an ad on Facebook marketplace asking if somebody could let you store your stuff in their garage. Pay them the same as a storage place. Then you can camp. You could also ask if there was somebody who would rent their caravan or camper trailer. Or sell it.
I ended up buying a cub camper. Check gumtree or Facebook marketplace and set your radius as really large. The camper I bought was 3 hours away. It had solar panels so we didn't have to have a powered site. You then don't have to try to get into a caravan park.
We have a place now. We camped for 8.5 months. It was ok. It soon started to feel like home. I am sorry you are going through this and I hope it will be over for you soon.
Whereabouts are you located? Would be helpful for everyone to know. Then if someone sees this that has something available you could message them. All the best!
Like others have said, regardless of space / bedrooms at your family (or even close friends) I find it very upsetting no one is helping out. Whilst we are fortunate enough to own (not rent) we are in a small 2 bedroom place and I would literally cover all my spare floor space with foam mattresses if my family or best friends had nowhere to do, likewise my parents / in-laws would do the same. Whilst they might not be able to help with storage room, please reach out to friends and family to see if you can bring a mattress and sleep on their loungeroom floor, offer to pack it all away if a day if it’s an issue. I would do up a rental agreement with them, it doesn’t even have to be for $$ you could offer to be in charge of the house cleaning, cooking, if they have kids, doing school runs - I mean you shouldn’t have to pay but make sure they know you aren’t looking for a free ride, you just want somewhere safe and warm for your family till you find a place
Can any of your family or friends have portable cabins on their property? If so, what about renting one or two (depending on how many you need)
I would always take in family or friends that are homeless.. if renting a van is not possible are you able to buy one to get you by and park at a friend or family member s house...
So sad . Thinking of you
This happened to us last year, one income household, rental going up for sale, I know how scary it was, going to look at rentals with 100’s of ppl here in WA, fortunately my in-laws decided last minute to gift my husband some of his inheritance early, and we were able to purchase our rental, I feel extremely greatful and blessed, so now I’ve gone back to work this year, im paying it forward by helping out families less fortunate and in these situations with groceries or money towards bills.
Hang in there, sending positive vibes your way, such a shit time, I get it!!