Australian tenants criticize landlord for “ridiculous” and “absurd” request to his tenant

An Australian landlord has been criticized for asking his tenant to chip in and contribute to the cost of installing a driveway on his property.

The tenant, from Victoria, said they have to “scramble” to find a parking spot on the street outside their rental home and while a driveway would be helpful, they weren’t sure if they should help with the cost.

Tenants were quick to dismiss the idea, calling the landlord “cheeky” for asking his tenant to help him improve his own investment property.

‘My landlord approached me and asked if I would be willing to contribute to some of the costs of installing a driveway at our rental. “I currently park off the street and a driveway would be very convenient for me,” the tenant asked in a Facebook post.

‘Is this something I should/need to contribute to? I want to maintain a good relationship with the owner, but even helping with 20 per cent of the cost is quite expensive.’

Fellow tenants were quick to discourage the tenant from paying the landlord “not even a cent.”

‘Why would you contribute to something that doesn’t belong to you? “Hell no I wouldn’t, it seems like the owner is taking advantage and has the nerve to actually ask,” one user wrote.

‘How ridiculous. Absolutely not. It’s not your responsibility AT ALL,” said a second.

‘No way. They could turn around and not renew his lease, so he’ll barely be able to use it. It’s absurd that they even asked. “It is your investment property, it is your responsibility to invest in it, not yours,” another added.

Others said that if the tenant pays for part of the driveway, they should negotiate a written agreement with the property owner.

“If you did, you would want some assurances that you would be able to stay in the property for X years and that you would be refunded the full amount if the property is sold, etc.,” one person suggested.

‘It’s not necessary, but I would use it as a negotiating tool. “In exchange for no rent increase and a five-year lease, the rent will be reduced during construction in writing,” another recommended.

‘If he is willing to give you a written guarantee that he will not sell, sublease or raise the rent more than X percent of the current rate for X years, then you have a good basis for investing in an asset that you will enjoy. during that period,” commented a third.