Whanganui mum and six kids facing homelessness get rental in Castlecliff

Melissa Walsh is relieved to have found a place to live with her six kids.

The Whanganui mum of six who was facing the possibility of moving her family into her SUV for a period of time has been offered a rental.

And Melissa Walsh quickly accepted the offer. Towards the end of January Walsh and her children will move into a four-bedroom house in Castlecliff.

The landlord wanted to renovate her previous home - a three-bedroom rental on Anzac Parade. She was given notice in November and had until the end of January to move out.

With seemingly few options around for a big family with pets, Walsh was stressed and faced either moving her kids into her SUV to live or living out of a motel room.

That was until Property Brokers' agent Andrew Rennie read about her situation in the Whanganui Chronicle last week.

Rennie got in touch and showed Walsh some rentals. Within a few days she had secured the Castlecliff home.

"I was [relieved], me and the kids were happy. We went and had a look at a couple of places," Walsh said.

"My 10-year-old daughter is excited because she'll get her own room."

Andrew Rennie from Property Brokers remembered Melissa Walsh as a tenant from his days working at Ray White.

Previously her two daughters had shared a room, so had three of her sons.

The youngest boy, aged 4, slept in a small bed in Walsh's room but now he will share with another child. Walsh will get her own room.

She was now busy packing and deciding what schools the kids would go to now they would be in Castlecliff.

"I'd seen her in the paper," Rennie said. "I used to work at Ray White [Walsh's current property manager] so I remembered her.

"Took her through a couple of options and she liked the one that I've given her now. We've signed her up and she starts [there] in January."

Rennie said it wasn't an act of charity because it was good for him and the landlord. Walsh had always been a good tenant.

"She was already grateful just from getting the call. It's selfish in a way because it's also good for me to know that 'yay, I can relax I don't have to stress about who I've put in that property'.

"Whereas if you take people you don't know - it sits in the back of your mind, 'oh please don't screw this house up for me'.

"It just takes that once then investors pull out and we're back to square one with no properties again."