Queensland tenants sent list of gifts to buy landlords for Christmas

A Queensland real estate agency has caused outrage for emailing this pricey request to tenants despite rents rising.

A Queensland real estate agency has copped fierce backlash after it emailed tenants with a list of presents they could give to their landlord, with one costing up to $115.

The email from Kanik & Co, a real estate agency which describes itself as a boutique and independent agency that opened in 2017, outlines a list of hamper options for tenants to choose from.

These included a white wine grazing box or festive sweets box for $55, a self-care hamper for $70 or spending $99 on a foodies hamper.

The big ticket option however is a luxury gift hamper called All Things Golden costing $115, which contains items such as sparkling wine, a satin robe and eye mask, aroma diffuser, bath salts and a range of food and sweets.

“This year has been particularly challenging for both our tenants and property owners alike, and we understand some tenants would like to thank their property owner for everything in 2021,” the agency wrote in the email.

“The choice to be involved is 100 per cent optional and you are certainly under no obligation to do so.

“Our team are happy to facilitate the purchasing of a gift on your behalf and have it delivered to the property owner with a handwritten note to say thank you, directly from you.”

The email adds that an invoice will be sent to the tenant and payment must be made within seven days.

The hampers ranged in price from $55 to $115. File image. Picture: iStock

But the offer came under fire when it was shared online. Sinead Canning had revealed a screenshot of the email on Twitter.

“Landlords have seen their passive incomes increase at your expense this year. The time has come to lick their boots harder,” she said in response to the email.

“This agency is in Logan, where the average weekly rent has increased by 30 per cent in the last five years and the vacancy rate is 1 per cent.”

Some described the email as “outrageous”, a “joke” and “obscene”, while others were “gobsmacked” by the request, adding their “gift” was paying the landlord’s mortgage.

“Once I stopped laughing at the outrageousness of this, I felt sick to the core,” wrote one woman.

“Thank you for letting me overpay rent for a substandard home that I’m too scared to complain or ask for repairs because finding a rental property is like the Hunger Games and it’s better than having to spend a fortune moving,” added another.

“Thank them for what? Keeping younger generations locked out of the housing market?” one man tweeted.

“At this time of record-low interest rates, landlords are doing it tougher than ever,” one person joked.

Landlords have seen their passive incomes increase at your expense this year. The time has come to lick their boots harder. pic.twitter.com/mhZuB1QJUj

— Sinéad Canning (@Sinead_Canning) December 12, 2021

But even some landlords agreed the email wasn’t the right thing to do.

“As a property owner who reduced rent and upgraded the internet connection at the property during Covid lockdown, I say WTF?” wrote one person.

“As another who did similar (instigated a rent-free period of three months and then reduced the rent going forward on the next lease), I just cannot get my head around this agent’s gift collection. If I was the LL I’d be taking my property elsewhere for management,” another responded to the tweet.

“I have never seen anything more ridiculous in my life (and I have been a landlord),” one woman tweeted.

According to realesate.com.au, houses in Logan Central rent out on average for $350 per week with an annual rental yield of 5.1 per cent and units rent for $260 per week with a rental yield of 7.7 per cent.

Some said on Twitter that their gift to their landlord was paying off their mortgage. Picture: Istock

A report from the City of Logan released in 2020 found housing affordability was a growing concern for Logan households and many families were experiencing housing stress compared with the rest of southeast Queensland.

Rental prices in Logan have increased by 4.1 per cent from March 2020 to March 2021, according to another report from Deloitte and the Queensland Government.

Director at Kanik & Co, Michael Kanik, apologised for any offence caused and said a similar email was sent to landlords with an offer to give their tenant a Christmas present.

“Each tenant and landlord is unique, and some of them wanted to thank their landlords, and wanted us to help us facilitate it,” he told The Guardian.

“We can see where some of the criticism has come from – rent is obviously increasing across the board – but not all landlords are the same, some don’t want to increase prices.

“We had tenants or landlords reach out, wanting to trade Christmas gifts and cards, and wanted us to facilitate it. We just wanted to do a nice thing, that’s all.”