‘Patronising’: Real estate slammed for ‘Tenant of the Month’ award

A real estate agency has been blasted after tenants were presented with a “highly patronising” award.

A real estate agency has come under fire after one of its franchises introduced a “degrading” and “highly patronising” award for tenants.

Ray White issued an apology after a franchise presented a pair of tenants with a “Tenant of the Month” award, given to those who are a “pleasure” to deal with.

“To qualify, rent must always be paid on time, your home must be well presented (and) be a pleasure to deal with,” a social media post reads.

The initiative was slammed online after it was shared to a renters Facebook group, with many likening it to a ‘participation’ award.

“A ‘Tenant of the Month’ award, What (is) next, (a) leash and collar,” a social media user who shared a photo of the award wrote.

“OMG condescending much,” one person commented.

“Wtf. Can’t wait for the gold stars,” another said.

“It’s highly patronising. We’re not some subclass of home dwellers who need an ‘encouragement award’ to do what I’m sure most of us do anyway as decent people,” another wrote.

“Only a real estate would think it’s acceptable to do this,” another commented.

To qualify, tenants must be a ‘pleasure to deal with’. Picture: Facebook

Others fired back, suggesting the agency should introduce a “Landlord of the Month” award.

“To qualify, they attend to repairs and maintenance promptly, and urgent repairs immediately. They have met all the minimum standards required for rental properties,” they quipped.

However, few supported the initiative, suggesting it was a “great idea” which “looks good on future applications”.

Tenants’ Union of NSW Chief Executive Officer Leo Patterson Ross said the real estate industry needs to treat tenants with respect, claiming incentives such as the award “confuse the relationship” between the parties involved.

“We pay tens of thousands of dollars a year in rent, we should expect a level of service and respect that reflects this, not an arbitrary determination of being a pleasure to deal with,” Mr Ross told news.com.au.

“We also acknowledge that property managers do sometimes experience the distress and frustration of renters, struggling with unfair processes and practices around finding and keeping a home. We need to be clear, the industry has designed these to maximise income,” he claimed.

A Ray White spokesperson apologised for any offence caused by the social media post and acknowledged such awards are not common among the franchisee group’s 13,000 members.

“The intention was to celebrate the positive relationships we have with our tenants but we understand it has been interpreted in a different light and for that we are deeply sorry,” a spokesperon told news.com.au in statement.

“We value all our tenants and have always strived to create a respectful and inclusive community.”

Rents remain high

It comes as new data shows rents across the country are up nearly 10 per cent in the past year.

REA Group’s quarterly PropTrack report found rent stayed level at $600 per week for the past three months to June. The figure is an increase of $50 (9.1 per cent) of the median rent a year ago.

The report found the national rental vacancy rate eased this quarter to 1.4 per cent.

Inquiries about rentals in the capital cities fell about 10 per cent to 23 per listing for June, compared to last year. Regional rentals are hot property though, with inquiries spiking 21 per cent to 19 per listing.

National rents have stayed level at $600 per week for the past three months. Picture: iStock

PropTrack economic research director Cameron Kusher said the cost of living was driving some renters to make sacrifices.

“Some of these trade-offs may include renting smaller properties, renting in less desirable locations where rental costs are cheaper or sharing rental accommodation with other tenants,” Mr Kusher said.

“The supply of homes available for renters still consistently trails the demand for rentals.

“This imbalance (is) being persistently exacerbated by limited new housing construction and a heightened number of investors exiting the market in recent years with the rebound in investor purchasing only being witnessed over the past year,” he said.

The report also found more loans have been given to first homebuyers over the year to May, up 6.2 per cent.

The number of loans to investors increased 7.9 per cent annually.

“Increased lending activity to first home buyers has seen renters with the means exiting the market to purchase, while increased lending to investors will also likely alleviate some rental pressures,” the research director said.

– With NCA NewsWire