Real estate agent blasted for ‘petty’ inspection scoring system

Australians have been left gobsmacked after a renter revealed the “petty” scorecard their real estate agent gave them after a routine inspection.

An Aussie renter has shared the “scoring system” their real estate agency has introduced for routine inspections, sparking outrage at one very “petty” detail.

The long-time tenant explained they have developed a deep cleaning routine based around inspections, meaning their house is always “showroom quality” when the real estate agent comes to visit.

“I go all out – every room in my little 3x2 villa is given a spring clean, every surface is washed including walls, doors, lights, windows, carpets etc. I spend a week or more getting my house in showroom quality for inspection day,” they said in post to the Reddit Australia group.

“I know I go overboard but I’m a pretty tidy person anyway and it ensures all those occasional jobs are done regularly.”

Recently, the real estate agency introduced a scoring system, where they rate the tenant based off “detailed observations” of 17 key areas of the home.

However, due to the renter’s strict cleaning routine this has not been an issue, with the poster claiming the agent always comments that “she never sees houses as clean as mine”.

But the tenant was left fuming after receiving the report from the most recent inspection, which revealed their perfect score had been knocked down to a 3.5 stars out of five due to a single light bulb not working.

The real estate agency recently introduced a ‘scoring system’ for routine inspections. Picture: idontwannabeflawless/Reddit

A photo of the scorecard showed green ticks for every section noting the area was clean, but the sheet was also marked by a single red cross in the “Kitchen/Meals” along with a note stating, “One light globe not working”.

In the summary section of the report, the agent even stated that the property was clean and in “good condition” overall, but scored the renter a 3.5/5 and ask them to “please rectify the noted items found on Page 2 for next inspection”.

The renter was understandably incensed by the report and the realtor’s comments, revealing that it was actually the landlord’s responsibility to change the globe in question.

“Standard globes are the tenant’s responsibility, but this isn’t a globe. It’s an entire fitting that needs to be replaced as you can’t just swap the globe out, you need to get into the roof to put in a new entire unit,” they explained in the comment section of the post.

“After seeing many comments here I’ve checked and this is considered a fixture, so falls under the landlords responsibility.”

The renter said they had even purchased the fitting and were not trying to be “cheap” by not replacing it, but just didn’t want to risk their safety to do so.

They added they didn’t even realise the light was out until receiving the report because there are 21 downlights in the same area and they don’t use that particular light.

The realtor scored the tenant a 3.5/5. Picture: idontwannabeflawless/Reddit

The post attracted hundreds of comments from social media users lashing out at the real estate agent.

“This absolutely disgusts me. I own my own home and I would get zero stars, if they’re judging this harshly,” one person wrote.

“I fully believe that the average renter keeps a home to a higher standard than an owner, and it seems deliberately demoralising that someone could be marked down for having a light out.”

Another commenter slammed the real estate as “ridiculously petty” and “totally irrelevant” to the purpose of a periodic inspection.

They claimed one of the real estate agent’s main focuses should be on identifying whether any maintenance is needed.

The renter then revealed that they had submitted multiple maintenance requests over the years, including for a broken sliding door, broken blinds, issues with the oven seals and grout falling apart in the bathroom.

“Guess how many things have been fixed?” they asked

“Yep – zero.”

One commenter suggested the tenant fight back against the real estate by writing an email asking them to inform the owner of the house that they would be looking at other rental options “if the agent continues to harass you”.

However, the renter revealed they were reluctant to “rock the boat” and their lease was up in August and they feared they would be hit with a massive rent increase or not have their lease renewed.

“I have kids and a dog and the risk of homelessness is enough to keep me quiet,” they said.

“My rent has gone up 44 per cent over the past two years and I’d have moved out already if I could trust that I would find a place. It’s just too risky. They’ve got me over a barrel, and they know it.”