Tenants divided by a handwritten note outlining the house’s problems for prospective tenants
Tenants divided over cheeky tactic used to warn prospective tenants of property problems: ‘Bright Idea’
- Warning notes taped to the wall of a rental house
- Detail the problems on the property
A council member has divided opinion after advising renters to expose a property’s defects and post notes around the house during rental property inspections.
Greens councilor Jonathan Sriranganathan of the Gabba Ward in Brisbane shared some strange advice on Facebook on Friday.
One photo shows eight handwritten notes taped to a wall warning that the house has rats, mold in several rooms, and a lot of noise pollution coming from outside.
A cheeky tenant has divided opinion by leaving warning notes during a rental property inspection outlining the home’s flaws.
A photo of the warning notes was shared online as a tip for leaving tenants, by Jonathan Sriranganathan, a local councilor for the Brisbane Greens.
Mold was described as a “hazard” in large capital letters.
Another note reveals that the last rent increase was $75 per week and it went up six months ago.
“If you’re moving out of a rental and your landlord/agent is showing the property to new potential tenants, consider leaving a few notes or signs like this in a few prominent places around the house,” Mr. Sriranganathan wrote.
“Legally, an agent or owner shouldn’t touch or interfere with them in any way.”
The Facebook post appears to have divided social media users with some agreeing with the suggestion.
‘Brilliant idea,’ wrote one.
Another added: “I love this strategy.”
‘Yeah. For too long, owners have been free to abuse their power without any kind of record or accountability for their behavior,” a third wrote.
One revealed that they had already used the tactic after posting a note on her refrigerator detailing plumbing and mold problems that the landlord failed to fix.
Another social media user thought the suggestion didn’t go far enough and shared his method.
The lessee intended for prospective tenants to read the notes (pictured, people queuing to inspect a property in Sydney)
A Geelong woman shared a note she stuck to her fridge detailing plumbing and mold issues that went unfixed even though she had reported them a year earlier.
“I used to pull potential tenants out of the way and bring them up to speed,” he wrote.
The post also sparked backlash from social media users who claimed it wasn’t fair to the owner.
“Good luck getting a positive rental reference after pulling a stunt like that,” wrote one.
One called the tactic ‘malicious’ and wondered if Mr. Sriranganathan would cover a tenant’s legal fees if a landlord objected to the notes.
“Quasi legal advice is worse than no legal advice,” he wrote.
You are encouraging tenants to act maliciously in a way that could land them in court. Are you going to cover his legal fees?’
Daily Mail Australia contacted Jonathan Sriranganathan for comment.
The debate comes as the rental crisis continues to spiral out of control across Australia.
Nationwide, rents rose 6.7 percent to an average of $495 a week in 2022, but the problem was far worse in capital cities.
In cities like Melbourne and Sydney, increased post-Covid demand for fewer properties saw unit rents rise 9.3%, while houses rose 8.3%.