Steep $225 change to rental listing branded ‘ludicrous’
A Wollongong landlord has been accused of trying to cash in on the rental crisis by making a sudden change to his property advertisement.
An Aussie landlord has been called out after making a steep change to an advertisement for a rental property.
Last week, the Wollongong landlord posted an advert in a local community Facebook group for a four-bedroom rental property in the inner-west suburb of Figtree.
The property was advertised for $725 a week, with electricity and water usage included in the price and three of the bedrooms having built-in wardrobes.
“If it is listed, it is available. Please don’t ask if it is still available,” the poster wrote above the advertisement.
However, an eagle-eyed community member noticed that just a week later, the landlord posted the same ad with one critical change – a $225 increase.
They shared side-by-side images of the listings to a Facebook group where prospective renters often share and discuss different rental advertisements.
“Found in the wild! The photo on the right was a week ago, the one on the left is today. Same place it’s interesting that some people think this is okay,” they wrote.
The newer listing also included other subtle changes, such as the main picture being a shot of the lounge room, rather than a gloomy looking photo of the front of the house.
It did include a similar warning from the poster for people wanting to know if the property was still available.
“If the ad is up, it’s available (so pls do NOT as if it’s available).
In another confusing twist, a listing for the property on realestate.com.au reveals the home is still up for $725 – so it is unclear which is the official price.
The online listing also reveals another fun fact about the property that was absent from the screenshots posted on the Facebook group.
At the very end of the description of the property, after going on about the home’s “well-appointed bedrooms” and “generous laundry”, it is revealed the property is a “dual residency” home.
One Facebook user called the price increase from $725 to $950 “ludicrous”, with others accusing the landlord of trying to capitalise on the current rental crisis.
“Yeah, because let’s emphasise on the crisis and regional homeless issues. I swear, they’re so ridiculous I hope they never rent it out,” one person wrote.
“Feds need to cap rents in all states. It’s just greed and absolutely disgusting that this is allowed,” another said.
This is far from the only listing that potential renters have taken issue with, after a $275 “studio” in Brisbane also sparked fury this week.
Rachel McQueen, a TikTok creator that is known for calling out subpar rental properties, blasted the listing that popped up in the affluent northeastern suburb of Hamilton, which appears to just be a room in the basement of a home.
“Do not let this photo fool you,” Rachel said in the video, showing the photo from the rental listing, the comparing it to a Google Maps street view image to show what is advertised as a “small block of five” is, in fact, a house.
“This would appear to just be the space under the house,” comments Ms McQueen, revealing the studio living space, with concrete flooring and a black painted ceiling.
“They probably think that it’s some sort of industrial look,” she said, questioning how the space would hold up in extreme heat or cold.
“Let’s check out the kitchen, maybe it gets better in there,” she continues, moving aside to show a small, sparse space with an electric cooktop (despite the listing advertising a gas cooktop) and a ceiling exposing what appears to be the floor above.
“This is where you’re expected to cook your food, and I feel like something is going to drop out of there.”
Moving on to the bathroom, Ms McQueen said “we’ve seen a lot worse, but you’d expect a lot better,” again speculating what black paint in the shower is hiding.
“$275 a week for the literal space under someone’s house.”
– With NCA NewsWire
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