An actual property agent’s bungled e-mail has drawn the ire of Australian renters after exposing their suggestion to drive a tenant out for his “high maintenance” requests.
Screenshots of the alternate went viral after they had been posted on-line to Don’t Rent Me, a 50,000 sturdy Facebook group devoted to swapping renting tales, by an nameless Victorian.
The message seems to point out the actual property agent by chance replying to the tenant, as a substitute of forwarding their request for a lease extension to the owner, Tony.
The agent, whose title is blurred, encourages Tony to supply an “exorbitant increase” to hopefully drive the tenant to maneuver.
“In order to play this smooth, I think you should offer to renew the lease but with an exorbitant increase (I’m thinking go from $500 to $950) and attribute it to the current rental market,” the e-mail reads.
“I don’t think we’d get this much if we relisted, but we’d certainly get a bit of a boost, not to mention the peace of mind of having a better tenant.”
They add that Tony’s property would have a brand new tenant inside per week or two as a result of present rental disaster, but when the renter accepted the rise it might be a “surprise win”.
The agent justifies the motion by saying the renter is “high maintenance”, losing their time by making upkeep requests.
“On one occasion (concerning the aircon) he called every day for two weeks,” the e-mail reads.
“The receptions (sic) are sick of him.”
Posting the alternate on-line, the renter asks whether or not he ought to think about taking motion towards the actual property agent within the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
“So my agent has stuffed up and replied to me instead of forwarding my email to the owner,” he stated.
“The scam is now out in the open. Given that they’ve admitted to a punitive increase because I’ve asked them to repair their broken down flat, can I take them to VCAT?”
Tenants Victoria chief government Jennifer Beveridge stated life as a renter stays exhausting for many individuals amid file low emptiness charges.
We want actions to deal with their wants,” she stated.
“Fixing a ‘fairness formula’ to regulate the amount which rent can be increased by in our state would be a modest intervention because, quite frankly, the rental market is failing too many.
“Unaffordable rent increases, late or no repairs and VCAT delays indicate that rental law reforms are an unfinished project in our state.”
The alternate hit too near residence with many Australians, who shared comparable tales on-line and questioned why restore requests had been seen as a “bad thing”.
“A ‘better tenant’ because apparently, a tenant who wants to keep the property in working order is bad?” a puzzled commenter stated.
Another wrote that they’d an identical prevalence after they requested a leaking scorching water system be mounted, receiving an e-mail saying they’d depart it till “she just doesn’t have hot water one day”.
Another stated this was why they had been “reluctant” to place in upkeep requests.
“I can guarantee this wouldn’t be the first time a RE has done something like this,” a fourth stated.
A current report into Australia’s housing market by PropTrack discovered the variety of low-cost leases has nearly halved.
The variety of properties listed for lower than $400 per week throughout Australia fell from greater than a 3rd to simply 16.2 per cent in 2023
PropTrack senior economist Eleanor Creagh stated the drop represented a dramatic new shift for renters.
“The share of affordable rentals is plummeting, meaning conditions remain challenging for low-income Australians,” she stated.
In April, nationwide marketed rents soared by a staggering 11 per cent year-on-year off the again of traditionally low emptiness charges.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
