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Housing groups are calling on the state government to wrap a “financial ring of steel” around residential tenants who are struggling to pay their rent due to lockdowns.

It comes as the preliminary results of a Tenants Victoria survey of 400 renters found that 70 per cent had taken a financial hit during the state’s latest lockdown, losing an average $1280 in income. About half of these renters said this had affected their ability to pay rent.

Jennifer Beveridge, the organisation’s chief executive, said no targeted support was provided to residential renters during the state’s last two lockdowns.

Krista Gopurenko works in hospitality and struggled to pay her rent after losing work during Victoria’s recent lockdown.Credit:Eddie Jim

“These are ordinary people like waiters, shop assistants, beauticians and manicurists, gym instructors, people working in spas and the local cinema, whose incomes have become like a yo-yo,” she said. “They are finding it very challenging to pay for essentials such as rent.”

Ms Beveridge said financial assistance for struggling renters and landlords and a freeze on evictions should be implemented whenever the chief health officer declares a lockdown.

“We urgently need a financial ring of steel for residential renters who are struggling in lockdown,” she said.

Renters and Housing Union secretary Eirene Tsolidis Noyce said she’d noticed an uptick in renters receiving notices to vacate since the state’s moratorium on evictions ended on March 28. Rising rents and snap lockdowns had compounded their woes, she said.

“We have spoken to a number of workers, who are in casual work, and they have lost six weeks’ worth of wages. They are still expected to pay rent. It has led to extreme insecurity and anxiety.”

Thousands of struggling Victorian businesses and their landlords will receive rental assistance under a $400 million state and federal government support package announced earlier this week.

Ms Tsolidis Noyce said she’d like to see this scheme expanded to residential renters, who have “a lot more at stake”.

Hospitality worker Krista Gopurenko agrees, saying she struggled to pay the rent for her modest sharehouse during Victoria’s fifth lockdown.

She already lived frugally – dumpster diving for fruit and vegetables – and knew the loss of bar work was going to hit her hard.

“I live pay check to pay check,” the 26-year-old said. “We were in lockdown for 12 days and I lost nine days of work.”

She lined up a loan with a friend and applied for the federal government’s $600 COVID-19 disaster payment. But she said the money didn’t arrive until two days before the lockdown ended.

While she was able to pay her rent, it was a real struggle and she said renters deserved more certainty as the country lurched from lockdown to lockdown. “It was very stressful.”

Victorian Council of Social Service chief executive Emma King called on the state government to introduce support payments for people unable to pay their rent due to lockdowns and business closures.

“Nobody should be kicked out of their home because of a global pandemic,” she said.

She said that last year many Victorians were protected by JobKeeper, the bolstered JobSeeker and a moratorium on rent rises and unfair evictions.

As the coronavirus pandemic worsened in Sydney, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced earlier this week that Australian workers would be eligible for payments of up to $750 a week under increased emergency income support payments for future lockdowns.

“This year, there’s a patchwork of support measures for businesses and affected workers but nothing specifically for struggling renters,” Ms King said.

A spokeswoman said the state government was assessing whether it needed to strengthen protections for renters out of work due to the pandemic and those following public health orders who can’t pay their rent.

She said more than 130 reforms had been introduced to strengthen renters’ rights since the eviction moratorium ended in March.

“These changes strengthen renters’ rights, better protect vulnerable renters and enable people to turn the house they rent into their home,” she said.

She said under new laws, renters cannot be evicted unless the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal decides that it is reasonable.

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