REAL estate agents in Leeton shire are confident the end of a COVID rental moratorium won't impact on too many residents here.
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Last year, the NSW government introduced new measures to restrict when landlords could evict tenants due to rental arrears as a result of COVID-19.
These restrictions were originally due to end on October 15, but were extended until March 26.
With that deadline fast approaching, organisations such as St Vincent de Paul Society are concerned this will send many across the country into debt and financial trouble.
However, here in Leeton shire, real estate companies feel the moratorium hasn't had too much impact will in play.
There were only a handful of tenants, mostly seasonal workers in the MIA, who were able to take up the offer under the moratorium, but the agents feel overall having it come to an end won't be an issue.
QPL Rural sales agent for Leeton and Narrandera, Andrew Pellow, said the moratorium hadn't changed the market "too much".
"The rental market remains pretty tight," he said.
"The moratorium isn't something we've seen used really out here. We've been pretty lucky through COVID that most people out here have been able to stay employed and if they are renting, are able to keep paying on time, so we've been pretty fortunate compared to say people living in the city."
That's a sentiment echoed by Griffith and Leeton Real Estate's senior property manager Matt Zerafa.
"When COVID first happened, we were a bit concerned, but since then it's almost like Leeton and Griffith have been in bit of a bubble and weren't affected too much," he said.
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"That's not to say some people aren't struggling, but we've been able to avoid the storm pretty well.
"We have good industries here and that really helps.
"As always, the rental market remains really tight out here."
However, while the situation appears to be stable in the shire, other parts of the state will struggle when the moratorium is finished, according to St Vincent de Paul.
Data collected internally by the organisation in the last six months of 2020 highlights the precarious situation vulnerable people have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Across NSW, 50 per cent of people seeking assistance were in housing stress - meaning 30 per cent or more of their income was spent on housing - while 53 per cent had a fortnightly income between $500 and $1000.
Close to a third of people (32 per cent) relied upon JobSeeker as their primary source of income.
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