A real estate agent has sparked a backlash among some Australians after suggesting that renters struggling to find a property should dress better.
Amir Jahan, 25, who recently opened his own agency A-Class Estate Agents in Parramatta, west of Sydney, posted his thoughts on TikTok on July 6.
The agent, known for his quirky and creative marketing videos, said he was asked for advice by a woman who had applied for 50 rentals without success.
In his video, Mr Jahan said the potential tenant could not understand why she was receiving so many rejections.
“She said, ‘I’ve applied for 50 properties and they still haven’t been approved. Why do you think they’re not approving me? What’s going on?'” he said.
‘I took a quick look at your online application and didn’t see anything wrong.
‘But I said, ‘Look, when you go to the inspection, I’ve seen this many times, I’ve seen people come to the inspection and they feel like they just got out of bed.’
Mr Jahan explained that he might come across two applications that are “the best” but one of the applicants is dressed as if he had just gotten out of bed and the other is dressed “well”.
Amir Jahan, 25 (pictured), recently gave advice to people applying for a rental and caused a stir online.
The agent (pictured) said people should think of rental applications as a job interview and present themselves well, because they are applying to live in someone’s greatest asset.
“Which of the two are we going to go ahead with?” he asked.
Some Australian renters raved about the agent’s advice.
“What a joke… now people are judged by what they wear,” wrote one.
‘Let me tell you, those who dress and wear designer clothes are the ones who are trying to impress with credit cards and debt.’
“Where do real estate agents get their money from… honestly, what a nerve,” said another.
A third added sarcastically: “Dress like you’re going to a wedding.”
Others related to the woman who came to Mr Jahan for advice, asking the real estate agent for suggestions that might help them, no matter how superficial.
“My father had applied for 40 houses in Dubbo and had not yet received a response. He has been living in his car for nine weeks,” one wrote.
Mr Jahan told the Daily Mail Australia he was only trying to help prospective tenants.
“I have received a lot of negative comments but when I made the video it was because they asked me for advice and I simply wanted to help,” she said.
‘My intention was not to offend anyone, I just wanted people who have not been successful to know that it is necessary to represent themselves well.
‘Since you’re trying to rent someone’s asset, you have to prove that you’re going to take care of it.
‘I know people work hard these days, some seven days a week, especially in Sydney, but just taking that extra five or ten minutes to present yourself properly is enough.’
The agent, who has four years of property management experience, clarified that this wasn’t necessarily how he would judge a potential tenant, but he wanted people to know that many other agents might base their opinion on appearance.
Mr Jahan (pictured) said a good presentation can influence a homeowner to choose your app.
“Nowadays, people’s brains are in their eyes,” he said.
Mr Jahan wants tenants to know that applying for a property is like going to a job interview.
“For a job interview, you put on your best clothes, put on perfume and present yourself appropriately,” she said.
“But when people want to rent someone’s property, they don’t try.”
The 25-year-old said between 30 and 50 people attend his property inspections, so to compete, appearance can be a factor.
“I know people don’t have much time, but you have to dress well and speak well,” he said.
‘If there are two applications that are the same and one speaks well and is well dressed but the other is in a bad mood and not well dressed, some agents will choose the nicer person.’
Mr Jahan clarified that this is not fair and should not be the case, but warned potential tenants that this could be a reason why their applications were unsuccessful.