Building new units is proven to push rents down – but not for the reasons you may think

‘When there are 50 people lining up to apply for tiny, old, mouldy units, it’s clear that any solution to the housing crisis that doesn’t involve 49 more homes is going to leave someone out in the cold.’ Photograph: Andrew Merry/Getty Images

Like so many renters around Australia, my partner and I are being pushed out of a home we love.

Since we moved into our one-bedder in Sydney’s inner west two years ago, the rent has increased 36%, and now we’re being evicted.