![Real estate agent discussing about the terms of the purchase agreement and sign the documents to make the contract legally. Home sales, renting, leasing, mortgage and home insurance concept.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1280 720"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Renter and mother Kristie Hoskins wants the law to change to make it easier for renters to apply for a home loan.
A Victorian mother, who was left shocked after a bank employee told her she would never be able to buy a house, is on a mission to make it easier for renters to get a home loan.
Kristie Hoskins has launched a petition requesting that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government adjust legislation to make obtaining a mortgage easier for the nation’s millions of renters.
She’s calling for the law to be changed requiring all Australian lenders to accept a minimum two years of verified, unblemished rental history as primary proof that a homebuyer can service a loan.
RELATED: Call to ban filming during ‘dystopian’ rental inspections
‘Unrent’ scheme promises path to homeownership but experts urge caution
Melbourne renters face $31,200 annual bill as $700 suburbs surge
Bendigo MP Lisa Chesters presented the petition to the House of Representatives earlier in August.
Ms Hoskins said she started the petition after a bank neglected to take her “perfect rental ledger into account” when she inquired about the possibility of getting a home loan.
At the time, Ms Hoskins’ details were entered into software which the banks uses to assess would-be home purchasers.
“We didn’t do it officially, but she (the bank employee) put all my numbers through,” Ms Hoskins said.
“And she said, ‘Nope, you’ll never be able to get a house,’ and I was really upset.”
This was despite the mother-of-six having a $50,000 deposit and a $100,000 yearly household income.
Ms Hoskins says that being able to get a home loan would be life-changing for many Australian renters.
![Kristie Hoskins, Victorian petition - Routine rental inspections. Aug 2026. Petition sponsored by MP Gabrielle de Vietri. - for herald sun real estate](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 768 1024"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The mother-of-six was left devastated when a bank employee told her she would never be able to buy a home.
Ms Hoksins reasoned that if she could pay $620 a week in rent for years, she would easily be able to pay a mortgage of about $340 a week for a property priced at $350,000 or less in regional Australia.
She is hoping that a federal politician will formally nominate her to speak about the petition at a future public hearing in Canberra.
Ms Hoskins said that for many renters, being able to access a home loan would be “massively life-changing” – especially when the loan repayments added up to less than their weekly rent.
“Australia is the lucky country but it doesn’t feel so lucky at the moment,” she added.
“It feels like we’re just really fighting just to survive, it would be huge to have that extra money in your pocket.”
Paying a mortgage can often cost less than covering a week’s rent, especially in regional and rural Australia.
Generally, most Australian lenders count rent as an expense when someone applies for a home loan, rather than as proof that they can service a mortgage.
But some do accept a good 12-month rental history as supporting evidence when applying for a home loan, especially if the renter – or renters – have a 5 per cent deposit.
Melbourne-based Loan Market mortgage broker Samuel Power said some banks’ offered loans where they would accept 3 per cent in genuine savings as a deposit and purchase-related costs for a home.
But they also require a verified six-month rental ledger from a licensed real estate agent that’s also confirmed in bank statements, in place of other criteria.
“I’d just say that a strong rental history is a great starting point to start showing a bank that you’re an acceptable client and can repay a mortgage,” Mr Power said.
Ms Hoskins says that being able to buy a home, rather than rent, would offer families greater security – not to mention be helpful for their children’s schooling and futures.
“But at the end of the day, the bank is more concerned about your ability to afford the loan based on your current employment history, as they’re looking into the future and what the potential repayment obligations may be with varying rates – whereas a rental repayment may not increase and decrease as much as a mortgage does with changes to the cash rate.”
Ms Hoskins’ online petition gained 55 signatures across a month before it was closed and submitted to parliament.
Separately, she has launched another petition calling for the government to take action on the documenting of renters’ undamaged personal spaces, furniture, and living areas solely for the purpose of assessing their housekeeping or neatness.
Sign up to the Herald Sun Weekly Real Estate Update. Click here to get the latest Victorian property market news delivered direct to your inbox.
MORE: Why waiting for RBA rate cuts could trap property buyers