Nicole’s story

Prior to being told to vacate, Nicole and others in her building were asked to accept a $200 rent increase.

Nicole is an artist and a long-time resident of Sydney’s Inner West. In June 2022, she began renting a one-bedroom apartment in a small block of units. In early 2023, seven months into a year-long a fixed term lease, Nicole (along with all of the other building residents) was issued with ‘no grounds’ eviction notice. Shocked and upset, she reached out to her local Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service for help and even petitioned her local MP for assistance, but to no avail. Challenging a no grounds eviction is, in most cases, futile. 

Since her tenancy was terminated without cause, Nicole has been looking for a new home and periodically checking to see if her old apartment has been re-listed. It hasn’t, but through the neighbourly grapevine, Nicole found out that one of the residents in her building managed to save their tenancy. The price for that, however, must have been high. Prior to being told to vacate, Nicole and others in her building were asked to accept a $200 rent increase.

These days, Nicole is hoping for a way out of the volatile private rental market She is staying with family and friends while waiting to hear about affordable housing opportunities she may be eligible. In April, it will be a year since she lost her home after a no grounds eviction from her rental. She’s couch-surfing while all of her belongings are left in storage, waiting for the time when Nicole has a secure place to call home.