‘Dress better’: Real estate agent’s brutal advice to renters

A Sydney real estate agent has come under fire for offering one piece of brutal advice to would-be renters.

A Sydney real estate agent is facing backlash after offering two words of advice to renters struggling to find a property.

Amir Jahan sparked anger online after suggesting that renters struggling to find a property must “dress better.”

The 25-year-old, who recently opened A-Class Estate Agents in Paramatta, explained that looking presentable during an inspection is more important than people realise.

“I think that the way someone looks is the most important thing,” he told news.com.au

“People pay for what they see. Before they check your application, they check how you present yourself.

“When you go to an open home inspection, treat it like a job interview. You put your best clothes and best perfume on to get that job.

“You are trying to rent out someone’s asset, that they’ve worked their whole lives to buy. They have to trust you.

“It’s all about that first impression.”

He said if it was down to two applicants, how one is dressed would play a big role. Picture: TikTok / @amirjahanagent

He said that when prospective tenants are dressed sloppy, it can be taken as a reflection of how they are going to treat the property.

“I understand that some people work seven days,” he said.

“But making yourself look presentable can take five minutes and make the world of difference.

“Sometimes you can smell alcohol or cigarettes on people. Even just taking care of how you smell can improve the outcome of your application.”

He added that he did not mean to cause offence with his advice but was rather trying to genuinely help struggling renters trying to find a home in a competitive climate.

“I just wanted to help. A lot of these tenants I’ve seen them at inspection after inspection,” Mr Jahan said.

“You see the same people there and they’ll tell you they’re just not getting approved for anything and are tired of it.

“They’ve been to hundreds of inspections and are still looking. So I gave that advice try and help.”

He stated that how you look at an open home is more important than people might realise. Picture: TikTok / @amirjahanagent

The agent said on a recent TikTok video that he had been asked for tips by a woman who had applied for 50 rentals with no luck.

In the clip, Mr Jahan explained that the would-be tenant could not understand why she was getting so many knock-backs.

“She said, ‘I applied for 50 properties and I still haven’t got it approved. Why do you think I’m not getting approved? What’s going on’,” he said.

“I had a quick look at her application online and I didn’t see anything wrong.

“But I said, look, when you go to the inspection, I’ve seen this a lot of times, I’ve seen people come into the inspection it feels like they just walked out of bed.”

He said that when it came down to choosing between two applications, the applicant who dressed “nice” would be more likely to be successful.

Mr Jahan was faced with an onslaught of backlash, with many renters fired up by the agent’s advice.

He explained that an open home should be treated like a job interview. Picture: TikTok / @amirjahanagent

“What a joke. So now people are judged on what they wear,” one wrote.

“Let me tell you the ones dressed and wearing designer clothes are the ones who are trying to impress on credit cards and debt.”

“Where do real-estate agents get off … honestly, the nerve,” another said.

“This is so unprofessional.”

Others agreed with him and said taking the time to look presentable was essential to the process.

“I thought this was just common sense,” said one.

“Why is everyone so annoyed about it?”

“Thank you for sharing, I always dress up for rental inspections,” another added.

“I also make sure I am polite, friendly and have a chat to the agent.”