Melbourne renter’s sneaky warnings to future tenants

A Melbourne renter has had the last laugh as they found a clever way to warn future tenants with many applauding the move.

A disgruntled tenant has tipped off future renters about all the issues with a Melbourne home leaving notes throughout the place, which went unnoticed by the real estate agent.

The asking price for the rental is $600 a week but the former occupant pointed out a series of problems with the home with sticky notes taped to various parts of the interior, pictures from Reddit revealed.

The person who viewed the three bedroom place said that the leasing agent didn’t bother checking the house.

In the kitchen, a note is attached to the exhaust fan above the cook top and reads: “Rangehood doesn’t work, but window over sink fills house with bugs”.

Another warned that the laundry window was the only way to ventilate the room but there was no fly screen.

“Water pressure has been fixed twice but still low,” said another note.

The tenant also pointed out that cracks in the roof and walls had been ‘patched up’ over time in one note inside the house.

The person who shared the notes said it was “the most fun” they had at an inspection as they looked around to find new notes.

“The old tenant is a legend,” they said.

Despite being fixed, the water pressure was still low according to the note. Picture: Reddit

Other users also celebrated the previous tenant’s gutsy move describing it as “awesome”.

“That tenant deserves a medal,” wrote one person.

“This person is a true hero,” a user commented.

“This is great. Wish we could see this more often. I know agents would remove notes left in the house. But get sneaky with it. Hide them in drawers and in dishwashers. House hunting is exhausting without having to worry about slimy real estate agents,” said another.

The home was being advertised for $600 a week in Melbourne. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Sarah Matray

Renters also described similar experiences.

“I left a note on top of the shelf of the main bedroom at my old unit. ‘Factory next door makes this place prone to rodents and roaches’,” one person said.

“We nearly put in an offer on the most perfect flat at a viewing before the tenant quietly grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the hallway where it became clear that there was a badly painted over damp spot and a soggy carpet. Thanks tenant!” a user commented.

“I once had an agent send me a report alongside a lease agreement with all the issues and how they hadn’t fixed them and not to bother telling the new tenants … think it was meant for the landlord! Terrible!,” shared another.

Others suggested that a website needed to be started “where tenants can leave a truthful report of a house, agent and landlords for the benefit of prospective future tenants”.

This note warned about cracking. Picture: Reddit

The number of vacant rentals in Melbourne has more than halved in the past year, with the vacancy rate sitting at just 2.1 per cent, according to Domain.

Factors such as more people buying homes to live in meaning they were taken off the rental market and others being put up as Airbnb as Australia’s borders opened have been blamed for the plummeting availability of rentals.

It comes as renters across Australia are facing particularly bad news this year as available rental properties are at critically low levels in some parts of Australia, amid predictions that prices are set to explode.

A recent report from Domain found that capital city house rents have soared by 3.4 per cent over the past quarter hitting a new record high, while unit rents have jumped by 2.5 per cent.

On average, people are having to shell out $499-a-week around Australia to rent a house; for units, the average is $436.

Melbourne’s vacancy rate has halved in the past year. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

As many as 26 per cent of renters say they are “extremely stressed” with current prices, a recent Finder survey found.

Other Aussie tenants have also shared their struggles with getting changes or repairs made.

A Brisbane man, who had rented the same house for the past eight years, revealed his landlord wanted to increase the rent by $50 a week in response to two changes requested by the tenants.

The man said they were due to sign a new lease, so his housemates had asked the landlord to consider putting a screen door on the front door so they could lock it but still have airflow, alongside installing ceiling fans in the bedrooms.

There was also the Aussie comedian who had his rental application cancelled after he requested previous tenants provide a reference for the landlord.