Sandra, a single mother of three in her 30s, describes herself as 'insanely neat' and with children so quiet when they are indoors that her landlord often doesn't even know they are home.

Even so, the fact that she has children is a strike against her when trying to secure accommodation. She and her fianc? - the childrens' father - ran an ad for two weeks a couple of years ago which read "two professionals with three small children seeking reasonable accommodation between Pembroke and St. George's". Not a single phone call was received - and Sandra knows why.

"We should have said 'two professionals seeking accommodation', because look what happened when we mentioned the children," she said.

The couple are planning to marry next year and are anxious to leave their present home in a not so desirable area of Pembroke, where drug activity is prevalent. Sandra knows two of her three children - 12 and nine-year-old sons - are at a vulnerable age and she wants them out of that environment.

They have been looking for the last few years, without any success. Three years ago, with two young sons and a third baby on the way, the couple approached the Bermuda Housing Corporation. But even they were unable to help.

"Me and my boyfriend and two sons were living in a very small one-bedroom apartment and we both went to the Housing Corporation to see if they could help us find accommodation that would fit within our budget," explained Sandra.

"They asked me how much I made and they asked my soon-to-be-husband how much he made and they told us we make too much money for them to help us.

"I said 'I think you are misunderstanding the point - we're not asking you to help us pay our rent, we're asking you to help us find suitable accommodation for three children', because at the time I was pregnant.

"They told us we made too much money but that we were eligible as first-home buyers. I guess some people must come to the Housing Corporation if they want to sell their house real cheap."

Paying high rents and raising three children has not enabled Sandra and her finance to save sufficient money for a downpayment on a home. "We've considered that, but it seems we are living pay cheque to pay cheque,'' she said.

"We would rather put money into our own house rather than pay somebody else's mortgage, but then the bank requires you to have a certain amount of money in the bank.

"People go out and buy houses and then make their tenants pay their mortgage and I don't think that's fair. If you can't afford to pay for your house, don't buy it.

"I can understand if they said 'okay, my mortgage is $2,400, I'll pay $1,200 and you pay the other half," but some people make their tenants pay the whole mortgage and I'm not paying anybody else's mortgage."

After her daughter (now three) was born Sandra and Steve moved into the apartment they presently occupy. The rent is $1,500 for a two-bedroom place.

"This apartment is not top-of-the-line, walls and the ceiling need to be fixed and the landlord doesn't take very good care of the apartment, but we do have one," she said.

"We're trying to make do with what we have. I would still like better accommodations, especially when my children are concerned because the walls are mouldy and I've heard that mould can cause all kinds of allergic reactions.

"We don't have a yard and the children play in the road, but still it is somewhere.

All those Government houses they do have they need to re-evaluate because some people are living there with their adult children.

"Their adult children are working and so they have three or four pay cheques coming in, but they are paying a low rent. Then they have big cars with stereo systems and are taking cruises and trips all over the place because they can afford it."

Sandra kicks herself for not renting a three-bedroom property in St. George's which was being offered for what she is paying now. She considered it too far at the time, but now would be glad to move to the eastern end of the Island.

''On a daily basis we kick ourselves for not taking it - big mistake!,'' she said.

"I would really love to live in St. George's. My cousin stays down there and she says she absolutely loves it. Anywhere but Somerset. Southampton is all right, but as a last resort.

"In parishes like Hamilton Parish, Smith's and Paget the rents are too high. You would not be able to find reasonable rent in those parishes for some strange reason.

"A lot of people who have low rents don't advertise because they know that everybody is out there looking for reasonable rent. Very rarely would you find reasonable rent in the newspaper."

"I would like my children to have a nice yard to play in. I heard there are pretty good apartments in St. George's, a friend of mine rents a two-bedroom in St. George's and she pays $1,100. I can deal with that, and we would be able to save up for our own house."

Sandra, whose parents also rent, is worried about her children also following the trend. She has considered moving to the US in order to provide more for them, but then lower house prices also come with lower salaries and income tax.

"Bermuda's youth are really suffering," she says. "I'm seriously considering moving away, but I don't want to take my children out there.

"When they get my age, how are they going to make it? A lot of people raise their rents because they don't want to rent with people with children, but my children are not rowdy or rude, they are polite and clean.

"I'm a neat freak and they probably can't wait to move out from me!"

"Back in the day young families were able to find reasonable housing, but people are not thinking about young families starting out now.

"My father was telling me that when we were young (five children) one pay cheque covered his rent. He was paying something like $500 for two bedrooms.

"We're between a rock and a hard place, no matter which way you look at it. We both work at really good establishments and get pretty good money, but still it's not working.