A pair of potential tenants ‘dodged a bullet’ after finding a long warning written on the inside of a cupboard while checking out a new house.
The Brisbane couple were interested in an apartment listed for $480 a week, but the message written by the anonymous former tenant warned it was not worth it.
In a hastily scribbled note in red pen, the outgoing residents said the rent was “the worst they had ever experienced” and urged anyone who saw the space to “RUN.”
The list included problems such as mold in the bathroom, broken window hinges and a poorly sealed kitchen bench.
They also complained about the owner’s erratic and unreliable behavior.
A pair of potential tenants ‘dodged a bullet’ after finding a long warning written on the inside of a cupboard while checking out a new house.
“He will enter and leave the property when he shouldn’t,” they said.
“He’s cheap… he won’t fix anything.”
Other problems included peeling paint, a cockroach infestation that was there before they moved in, and lack of soundproofing, making it difficult to enjoy any quiet.
The couple published the note on Reddit, where many agreed that “everyone should do this” for future renters.
‘Tenants are blacklisted for shitty behavior. Homeowners should too. Someday I might be a landlord and I would want to do right by the tenants. “I wouldn’t rent it until I have a fund set aside to cover the repairs,” one of them said.
Some said they regret not doing the same after leaving “disgusting” rentals.
‘I wish I had thought of this before we left our old place. “Our landlord refused to hire professionals to repair the obvious leak in the upstairs bathroom,” one woman said.
Large crowds attend rentals across the country.
‘It took us over two months to email the owner with photos and explanations of why the mold was a health risk. [two babies in the house] “Finally I got an email asking me who I was,” he fumed.
Others shared their own rental horror stories.
‘There is a property mafia in Newcastle threatening legal action against one-star reviews on Google and trying to scam former tenants if they can identify them. “They strike me as the kind of cheapskates who would bristle at negative reviews but refuse to pay for their removal,” one person wrote.
Other sympathetic people argued that this was a homeowner’s market and that the condition of the home “doesn’t really matter.”
“Unfortunately, given the current market situation, this place will be rented again within a week,” they said.
The couple said the real estate agent quickly deleted the note as soon as he saw it.
“My husband was there at the right time,” the woman said.
And he heeded the warning, taking a photo of the sign on his way out.