First came the rent hike then the size of the energy bills started steadily increasing.
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If that wasn't enough stress, Lucia Peruzzo and her husband Keith received a gas bill last month that claimed their consumption had increased by 583 per cent for the summer quarter.
"When I contacted them they insisted that was my usage," Ms Peruzzo said.
"The crazy thing is that no one had been home for over a month so it should have been less than the previous year, not seven times higher."
Ms Peruzzo, who is on maternity leave, referred her complaint to the Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW.
It turned out the energy company had been under estimating the family's gas consumption for some time. It then sought to adjust the figure in the company's favour with no consultation.
"What was so upsetting was we are a family on a tight budget. I was expecting a bill for about $150 and when I got a massive bill that was incorrect they didn't want to take any responsibility."
The family of four, who live in The Hill, endured a sharp rent increase last year.
Ms Peruzzo said she feared any further increases to their cost of living could force them to seek cheaper accommodation.
"Our wages haven't increased in the same way our rent and bills have gone up," she said.
"We are just hoping the rent doesn't go up again. We might have to move to Maitland but rents are going up there as well. It would be heartbreaking if we had to move."
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