Kristina challenged her landlord over a rent increase. Now she's been told to leave the house before Christmas

A single mum-of-four who publicly vented her frustrations about a $300 per week rent rise has been dealt another crushing blow by her real estate agent weeks out from Christmas.

Firefighter Kristina Gram, from Sydney's eastern suburbs, recently got a rude shock when she received a notice from her landlord advising that her rent would soon increase from $800-a-week to $1100.

She counter-offered to pay $975 before the agent came back demanding $1200-a-week, $100 more than the initial hike.

But the worst was yet to come. 

After doing an interview with Nine Newspapers, the shattered mum has since received an eviction notice from New Grande Group to move out by December 20.

The landlord's decision to not renew the lease was due to 'a change in circumstances', according to the agent's email.

There are currently no laws in NSW that forbid this practice and there's nothing Ms Gram can do about it. 

'My initial reaction was how can they possibly do that? Ms Gram told A Current Affair.

'How is it still legal to be able to do that? Have they got a heart? It doesn't seem like they have.'

'And you don't want to speak about it because you don't want to make it worse for yourself.'

'When it goes up $400 per pay, it eats into a lot of things. Is is my grocery bill? Do I stop having health insurance? What's got to go?'

The real estate claimed to the program that the eviction was influenced by 'significant' health challenges of the landlord's parents.

It also described Ms Gram in email as an 'exceptional tenant.' 

Daily Mail Australia has contacted New Grande Group for further comment and what help has been offered to ensure the family will have a roof over their heads this festive season.

Ms Gram has called for better tenant protection laws in NSW as her desperate search for a new place continues.

She called for rent caps as the cost of living crisis soars. 

'As a tenant, what can I do?' Ms Gram said 

'No one wants to be the bad tenant, but who is it we need to talk to to make this situation a little bit better?

'It's a rental crisis. There's not enough homes. The prices are going up.  When's this going to stop?'

It's not the only worry now hanging over Ms Gram's head. 

At the end of Tuesday night's segment, A Current Affair host Deb Knight revealed Ms Gram's young son had been rushed to hospital after being hit by a car earlier in the afternoon. He's thankfully okay. 

A tenant is evicted every 18 minutes in NSW, according to a recent Fair Trading end-of-tenancy survey. 

Ms Gram isn't the only Sydney single mum facing the threat of homelessness in their lives.

Mother-of-two Lucie, 48, was paying $640 week before the landlord proposed to an unexpected $260 rent rise.

She eventually negotiated to pay $800.

Lucie has since not only lost her job but has been evicted at a time where rental vacancy rates in Sydney have plummeted to a record low.

'It's pretty scary,' she said. 

'It's extremely hard to find something affordable. I'm the only income for myself and the kids.' 

'I'm trying to be strong for my kids but on the inside, it's very upsetting, I'm very anxious.'

'It's stressful out there, I'm turning up to rental inspections like the Saturday just gone and there are 40 to 50 people there.'

Lucie, who has since found a new job, also called for better tenant protection.

'You can't give up when you're a single parent,' she said.

Vacancy rates in Sydney have fallen to an all-time low of 1.11 per cent, more than 60 per cent lower than in March 2020.

The number of available properties in Melbourne has halved compared to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rental vacancy rate is at a record low in Queensland with available options in Brisbane sitting at less than one per cent.

Renters faced more competition for housing with vacancies down in both capital city and regional areas, PropTrack economist Anne Flaherty said.

'Tenants faced even tougher conditions in October, with the proportion of rental properties sitting vacant falling to the lowest level on record,' she said.