Having previously owned a property with her former husband, she said she almost lost hope of finding somewhere to live.

"It's very disheartening being a single parent with four children. You get looked down upon,'' Ms Vann, of Caringbah, said.

"[The mortgage] wasn't anywhere near as hard as renting I'm finding this a lot more difficult.''

Ms Vann, works from home so she can juggle caring for her children, including her eldest daughter Janna, 15, who suffers from cystic fibrosis. However, the sole parent fears they will have to move when the lease expires.

"My kids have grown up here and they love it, but I will have to find somewhere cheaper, so they will have to be uprooted,'' she said.

"[But] I'm not prepared to move into a dump, and the only way I could afford another loan would be if I went bush.''

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