A single mother has hit out at fussy landlords who shun tenants who have animals and kids.

Lavita Williams says she has been looking for housing for over five months.

She said: "They don't want you if you have children or pets. It leads me to think they have forgotten where they came from. When they were children I bet they had pets.

"It's very difficult when you're a single mom anyway. I'm registered with every estate agent and I call every week but there's nothing.

"There's nothing under $2,000. I live with my mother who is diabetic, my brother and my 13-year-old daughter.

"Families in the lower income bracket can't afford the rents these days.

She also says landlords did far too little to justify the exhorbitant rents.

She said: "They promise they will fix things but then they don't bother.'' Rosemary Pedro of the People's Coalition for Affordable Housing agreed that families with children and pets were discriminated against. She said: "It's not good for children to hear they are not wanted by landlords.

"A lot of people see children as disrespectful but this is disrespectful to children.

"It's a human rights issue. Children and seniors have a hard time but children will become us and we will become seniors.'' However she said it was almost impossible to nab landlords who discriminated against people.

She said: "It goes on but it's the tenant's word against the landlord's.

"There is such a demand for housing that landlords can pick and choose their tenants.''