A landlord’s sarcastic email to a tenant who took him to court and won sums up the imbalance of power in rentals as Australia’s housing crisis deepens.
Landlords have gained the upper hand in the national rent crisis, leaving desperate tenants no choice but to accept substandard living conditions, as well as inspections and rent increases without notice.
As one South Australian tenant recently learned, they are also tough on breaches of rental conditions.
The dispute ended up before the State Civil and Administrative Court, which ruled in favor of the tenant.
The landlord did not take the decision well and sent a brutal email to the deceased tenant.
The landlord who sent this email to a former tenant did not take the court’s decision well
“I hope you understand how much you benefited from breaking a binding contractual agreement. You think you were such good tenants just because you paid the rent on time LOL LOL,” the landlord wrote.
The sarcastic post was shared on X by tenant advocate Jordie van den Berg, who recently launched rental website S**t Rentals.
“These tenants won at a court hearing, and the landlord sent them this,” he captioned the post.
The post sparked dozens of comments denouncing the “unprofessional” owner.
“Nothing like a little narcissism to make your day,” one wrote.
Another added: “Brother, shut up. You’re literally tricking these people into paying your mortgage.
Landlords have gained the upper hand in the face of the nationwide rental shortage. Pictured are Sydneysiders during a rental inspection
Some called for the officer to be named and shamed.
“This is appalling, and not only unprofessional, it is a form of harassment towards the tenant.” Not to mention a big middle finger to the Court,” commented one of them.
Others shared their own rental horror stories.
“I left good rent while the landlord was trying to rebuild and I was still paying the rent. In the middle of winter, he removed all the walls in the laundry room, exposing me to the elements. Then renovated kitchen and bathroom. ALL WITHOUT NOTICE,” one man recalls.
But not everyone was on the tenant’s side.
“Tenants now have more rights than owners,” one wrote.
Tenants have no choice but to accept substandard living conditions, as well as inspections and rent increases without notice. Pictured are queues at a rental inspection in Sydney
The national vacancy rate stands at just 1.02 per cent after falling slightly in October, with most major capital cities following the trend according to PropTrack’s Market Insight report.
Renters face increased competition for housing with vacancy rates falling in the capital and regional areas, said PropTrack economist Anne Flaherty.
Renters face increased competition for housing with vacancy rates falling in the capital and regional areas, said PropTrack economist Anne Flaherty.
“Tenants faced even tougher conditions in October, with the proportion of rental properties remaining vacant falling to its lowest level on record,” she said.
Job vacancies in Sydney fell to a record low of 1.11 per cent, more than 60 per cent lower than in March 2020.
The number of available properties in Melbourne has halved compared to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rental vacancy rate is at an all-time high in Queensland, with options available in Brisbane sitting at less than 1 per cent.
Homeowners have the upper hand in the kidney crisis, with a national vacancy rate of just 1.02 percent, according to the latest data.
