Renter reveals Melbourne real estate’s shock response to sickening discovery
A young renter has revealed the shocking response she received from the real estate agent after finding an “infestation” hiding in her apartment.
National
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A renter has opened up about her nightmare experience finding mould riddled throughout her apartment – and the shocking response she got from the real estate agent.
Maddie Graham, 25, was overjoyed when she was contacted by a Melbourne real estate agent earlier this year who claimed she and her friends were “the most perfect clients” for a three-bedroom apartment in the city’s southeast.
The $690 per week rent was manageable, there were no glaring issues in the online pictures and, as the group was relocating from Sydney amid the ongoing rental crisis, it was a big relief to know they had a place to live locked in.
But it wasn’t long before the nightmare began.
The problems started when the real estate agent kept coming up with reasons why Maddie and her housemates couldn’t do a physical inspection of the property prior to moving in.
On one occasion, the appointment was cancelled after the real estate agent claimed the keys to the property had gone “missing” and the second inspection was also cancelled by the agent.
Eventually they conducted a virtual inspection, with Maddie saying the property looked “perfect” on video.
However, when the group arrived to move into the property on the January 22, they quickly realised it was “riddled” with mould.
Not only that, but the property had a foul odour and was filthy with animal faeces, bird feathers and dust.
Have you had a horror rental experience? Share your story: alexandra.foster@news.com.au
On top of this, the real estate did not provide the tenants with a condition report or a transaction receipt for the bond lodgement.
Maddie told news.com.au that because they had not been given a condition report, the property manager instead told them in writing that after a physical inspection they had decided there was “no mould” in the property as the tenants were claiming.
“However, after we contracted an independent mould specialist, there was a lot more mould found in the entire property in the airconditioning, window sills, master bedroom, bathrooms and cupboards,” the 25-year-old revealed.
The report noted the cause of the mould was a combination of “high humidity, condensation and the highly contaminated aircon split system unit that is blowing airborne spores around the entire unit.”
The report recommended the owner of the property provide the tenant with portable dehumidifiers and have the airconditioning unit cleaned “ASAP to prevent further sporulation”.
Despite this, the property manager continued to claim the mould was in fact “water damage”, even after attending the property for a physical inspection.
In an email sent to the real estate on January 30, Maddie sent through pictures of the mould damage and other issues with the property, informing them they would need to vacate and wanted a full refund on their bond and rent.
“This place is not fit to live in and this is extremely important to recognise,” the renter said in the email.
In response, the agent claimed they had gone through all the property and “not found any mould”.
“In relation to the mould that is behind the cupboard it was not evident at the time of
my ingoing inspection. As we do not move furniture to take photos of the back of
them,” the email read.
“Unfortunately we will not be refunding any of the rent as the owner would be happy to
rectify anything that needs to be addressed immediately.”
Maddie noted that the mould in the cupboards had been covered by paper, indicating there was already knowledge about the issue.
“The owner and yourself should have done a thorough inspection, furnished or not. The
cupboards are not that hard to move and the ceiling spaces are easy to see,” Maddie said.
“It would be within your best interest and the owners to refund and let us leave and we
won’t press further action.”
She said that if they did not receive a full refund of $6040, they would be taking the situation to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
Two agents attended the property that afternoon, with Maddie claiming they were “extremely rude” and “slammed the door in our faces” after denying the existence of the mould and trying to talk them out of taking the situation to VCAT.
The renters decided to seek legal advice from Consumer Affairs Victoria and began documenting all interactions with the real estate, including false promises to clean the mould and plans to hire someone to simply paint over it.
After submitting the VCAT application a hearing was granted within a week, but was adjourned after the real estate’s representative arrived “extremely unorganised” and with nothing prepared.
The second hearing took place on February 28, with the magistrate ruling in favour of the renters and ordering the real estate to repay the $6040.
When handing down the order, Maddie said the VCAT Member claimed the property should have “never been rented out in the first place” because it was “uninhabitable and infested with mould”.
“Furthermore, the magistrate called out the property manager for not handling the concern effectively, as even a month later all she had done was hire a painter to paint over the mould and it wasn't even removed completely even after a month,” she said.
The 25-year-old claimed the property manager drew even more ire from the Member after she attempted to argue that, because the tenants did not return the keys for two weeks, they should not be entitled to a refund because if she had the keys she could have found new tenants.
“The [Member] called her out on trying to rent out a mould infested property yet again without it being safe and liveable,” she said.
Maddie said the experience was “devastating” and “felt like we either had to live in a mouldy property or face homelessness”.
“We were extremely lucky to have friends we could crash at while we found another property, but we had applied at about 40 others and continued to get rejected. I felt unsettled and anxious because all we could think about was trying to find somewhere to live,” she said.
She urged other renters who may find themselves in a similar position to stand up for themselves and know their concerns are valid.
“If you do find mould, send notice immediately. If you feel like the property is uninhabitable and they’re still asking for you to pay rent, be on the property manager’s back until it’s fixed and if they’re still not doing anything, open up a case with consumer affairs and call legal aid if necessary,” she said.
“I can’t begin to imagine if this was someone who experiences a language barrier, an intellectual or physical disability or someone escaping domestic violence.
“A home is a place where individuals can feel safe and secure, which is a basic human right and I hope that no one else has to experience something like this.”
Originally published as Renter reveals Melbourne real estate’s shock response to sickening discovery
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