Background:

Refugee families face extreme difficulties in securing rental accommodation upon arrival in Australia. In the Southern Metropolitan Region of Melbourne many real estate agents are reluctant to rent properties to refugee families due to a lack of previous rental history, society’s negative perceptions and also fear of the unknown.
Through funding provided by the Department of Social Services, WHISE was able to conduct consultations with real estate agents in the City of Greater Dandenong (CGD) to assess their attitudes towards renting properties to newly arrived refugee families as this is the number one issue raised by many of the women who access WHISE for support.
CGD was chosen as the pilot site due to the large number of newly arrived refugees who call it home.

Methods:

One on one interviews and surveys were conducted with 5 main real estate agents in the CGD to assess the processes that they have in place to work with refugee families and their knowledge, skills and attitudes when dealing with refugee families who apply for rental accommodation.

Results/Discussions:

The majority of real estate agents reported that they faced challenges when dealing with refugee families in the initial stages of the rental process, as they often have no rental history and have low levels of English and lack of comprehension which limits their ability to understand the contractual and legal obligations. Real estate agents had a sense of reluctance as they never know whether the client has fully understood their rights and responsibilities for leasing the property.

Conclusions/implications:

Real estate agents were offered and provided with interpreter training and are being supported by WHISE through advice and resources to encourage greater intake of refugee families. The project is now being extended to include real estate agents and partner organisations in other local government areas that come into contact with refugee families.