The longer we rented, the longer we wanted to stay – but being a renter does not guarantee you choice

‘Unless you have rented yourself it is very hard to imagine the fear that comes with such instability.’ Photograph: Nadir Kinani/The Guardian

Throughout my 20s I never thought about owning property, because I was too busy enjoying living with friends in a string of share houses. Some of the places were nice, others were not.

There were outdoor bathrooms, avocado trees, gaps in the floorboards, and even a resident rat. We decorated with our found furniture and our eclectic tastes, making lamps out of old table legs and tables out of old milk crates. Two decades back, renting in inner-city Melbourne suburbs was affordable and easy.