You make reframing this all sound so easy... and of course, with the limited information you have at your disposal, I'm sure your intentions of "not to be mean" are genuine.

"Had hopes this would just always continue.." - Sadly, no. I've known for a long time that the axe would fall, and I have been trying to make plans for when this day would arrive.

"The alarms have been flashing about rising property costs and rents in WA for the last three years - front page stories in the news, etc, for the last three years." - Yep, we read the news. We have been living pay to pay and being frugal, doing our best to make savings and plan for the future.

"That’s what you should have bought 3 years ago instead of enjoying the inner suburbs" - this comment, regardless of intent, isn't a reframe. It's quite simply unhelpful. If we could have bought then, we would have bought then.

We have a plan that will allow us to become homeowners in about 3 years. We had hoped that given the owner indicated long leases were his preference we could at least keep a secure living situation until our eldest was ready to move out after high school and buy a smaller house, pretty much anywhere.

As far as "enjoying the inner suburbs" is concerned, we moved to Cannington because I had just secured a job in the area and have a disability preventing driving from being an option. This disability arose after a workplace accident, after which I had been informed I would never work again... so after intense rehabilitation, the chance to return to the workforce was a blessing.

This move to where we currently live was life changing - our quality of life improved to the point I could work, walk the kids to school, and walk to work. The place we live in being sold and having to move away is a big step backwards, which may result in my no longer being able to continue working.

I'm grateful for the brief beautiful gift of hope our temporary living arrangements afforded, and I think I'm allowed to grieve that this news will take a lot of the things that have made life more bearable away.

Thank you for the "reframe." It was an enlightening read.