Premier Anthony Albanese has finally ousted a long-standing tenant from his investment home.
Mr Albanese has put the three-bedroom Dulwich Hill property in Sydney’s inner west up for sale with the expectation that a successful bid could fetch up to $1.9 million. news.com.au reported.
Despite pleading with the Prime Minister not to sell, long-term tenant Jim Flanagan revealed in May that he had been forced to look for somewhere new to live.
The 45-year-old small business owner had been paying $680 a week for the home, which is part of Albanese’s $4 million property portfolio.
In May, Mr Albanese gave his tenant 90 days’ notice to vacate the home, making it clear through his agent that he intended to sell the property.
Mr Flanagan was reluctant to make the notice public but felt he had no choice but to try to retain his tenancy.
The Prime Minister will pocket a decent profit of $700,000 if the house sells for the expected price of $1.9 million, after having bought it for $1.175 million in 2015.
Having grown up in public housing, the Prime Minister’s $4 million property portfolio currently includes two rental homes in Sydney, including a mortgage-free federal bungalow with a swimming pool, while he divides his time between the Lodge in Canberra and Kirribilli House in Sydney.
First Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured with partner Jodie Haydon) has given the tenant of his Dulwich Hill investment property a beating after a 90-day eviction notice expired.
Mr Flanagan received the eviction notice from his estate agent on 8 May, which informed him that Mr Albanese “may sell the house at some point”.
“You are advised that the owner requires vacant possession of the property… 90 days after delivery of this letter,” the notice said.
Mr Flanagan then asked for clarification as to whether it was the owner’s wish for him to vacate the property, which the agent confirmed.
He was prompted to try to stay after reading about the Albanese government’s $1.9 billion package to reduce rental costs for vulnerable people announced in the federal budget.
“I don’t think it’s right that (Mr Albanese) is trying to sympathise with the majority of Australians who, like me, find the current climate extremely challenging,” Mr Flanagan said.
He said he voted Labour in the 2022 election and largely supports the party’s policies, but is struggling because the pub he owns is struggling.
Jim Flanagan, 45, (pictured), had begged Mr Albanese not to sell the house because the cost of rent was significantly lower than current rates for similar homes in the area.
The Prime Minister previously revealed the decision to oust Flanagan and sell the house was due to “changing circumstances” and his upcoming wedding to Jodie Haydon.
“I have the right to make decisions in my personal life, including the sale of property that I own, because I wish to move my personal life in a different direction,” Albanese said at the time.
‘The property was purchased when my personal circumstances were different.’
Mr. Albanese reduced Flanagan and his then-partner’s rent to $680 a week during the pandemic, and has not raised it since.
The three-bedroom townhouse in Sydney’s Inner-West (pictured) is expected to fetch around $1.9 million after Albanese bought it for $1.175 million in 2015.
Mr Flanagan added that the Prime Minister “has been a great landowner” and “very generous”.
Rent for a similar property in the same area, which is just a short walk from his bar, is probably around $800 a week.
Flanagan’s ex-partner Chrissy Flanagan has previously spoken openly about what it was like having the prime minister as a landlord.
In a TikTok video in 2022, she praised Albanese for “living the values he preaches” by reducing his rent by 25 percent at the start of the Covid pandemic and maintaining that reduced rate two years later.
