Young landlord hits back at ‘brutal’ response after revealing ‘unglamorous’ side of owning properties

A young Aussie landlord has hit back at the “brutal” comments she received after exposing the “unglamorous” side to owning multiple rental properties.

A young landlord has hit back at the “brutal” comments she received after revealing the “unglamorous” side to owning multiple rental properties.

Estelle Landy, a former Big Brother contestant, recently took to TikTok to share the difficulties she is experiencing with two of her Victorian rental properties, revealing the harsh “realities” of being an investor.

“I’ve been crying my f***ing eyes out all morning, because I have been pushing s**t uphill for two years, three since my mum died, with these properties,” an emotional Ms Landy said the in video.

Throughout the seven minute video, the 36-year-old claimed that the tenant in one of the properties was thousands of dollars behind in rent and bills, while the other renter had “destroyed” the second property.

Estelle Landy has revealed the ‘unglamorous’ side of being a landlord in Australia. Picture: Estelle Landy/TikTok

She took to TikTok to explain the difficult situation she is facing with her tenants in the wake of her mum’s death. Picture: Estelle Landy/TikTok

She explained that, while she has submitted applications with VCAT to have the situations resolved, the process is very tedious and, in the meantime, she has been struggling to keep up with the costs associated with owning the homes.

The 36-year-old told news.com.au that she was left “shocked” at the response she received to the video, which has racked up more than 3000 comments and 665,000 views.

In the comment section, furious Aussies accused her of “hoarding resources” and then “crying on the internet” about it.

“I stopped caring when she said she owns more than one property,” one person wrote.

“Landlord crying on the internet? Yeah my day got better,” another said.

One person claimed that investments “carry risks” and she needed to “deal with it”.

Ms Landy said that, while she understands many renters are struggling and there is a lot of anger out there towards “bad” landlords, there are people on both sides of the property divide that are suffering.

“There is a lack of tolerance to empathise with anyone else who is perceived to have ‘more’, which is strange because we are certainly part of the ‘hustle generation’ but we aren’t allowed to hustle too hard or we will be cut down,” she said.

Ms Landy has featured on the popular reality series Big Brother twice.

Most recently she starred in the 2022 season of the show. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Ms Landy said she knows there are some people who are “greedy and exploitative” when it comes to investing in properties, but that isn’t the case in her situation.

She estimates that the combined value of her properties today would be less than $500,000, with one costing $20,000 and the other $215,000.

The first property was bought by her parents in the 90s after they separated and was an ex-housing commission home located in Morwell, in the Gippsland region.

Ms Landy said the home was in a “precarious” area and needed a lot of work to make her and her mother feel comfortable.

With her mum on the disability pension and no longer able to work, Ms Landy started working as soon as she was old enough.

Eventually, she saved up enough money to purchase a home in the same town but a “much more secure location” and provide better living conditions for her and her mum.

“Each property I have purchased was never with the purpose of becoming an ‘investment’. I occupied each place for more than 10 years and didn’t have plans to sell when I bought each one,” she said.

Once they moved out of the first home, her mum let a friend move into that original house.

“She always was trying to help everyone around her. She did not get a formal lease, an agent or any bond. She was very kind and trusting. She managed this arrangement herself until she died suddenly in 2020,” Ms Landy said.

After her mother’s death, the management of the property fell to Ms Landy and she quickly discovered the friend had fallen thousands of dollars behind in his rental payments.

Ms Landy said she was ‘shocked’ at the brutal reaction she received to her emotional video. Picture: Estelle Landy/Instagram

The 36-year-old said she understands that both landlords and tenants are struggling right now. Picture: Estelle Landy/Instagram

She told news.com.au she tried to arrange a payment plan to help the tenant catch up and also helped him fill out Rent Assistance forms but, eventually, he stopped paying rent all together.

She also discovered the man had been refusing to pay his water bill and won’t have the bill transferred into his name. She said she was also told she couldn’t cut off water to the property as it is an essential service.

The property owner has made multiple applications through VCAT to have him removed so she can sell the home, but some errors early on, combined with long wait times, means that process is still under way.

After her mother died, Ms Landy said she agreed to let the man who was living with her mother stay in the second property and pay rent.

“In this time he has done some very odd and destructive things, picked all of the locks in the house, pulled doors off hinges, ruined paint and carpets with smoking and the front and back yards look like tips,” she said.

She said she had to “partly” take responsibility as she had previously inspected the property and each time was saddened to see the worsening state of the house but “didn’t have the heart” to evict him

“I keep having conversation with him around his need to clean up so I don’t have to remove him but each time I go there the place is more destroyed,” she said.

“I have tried to help this man rehouse or clean up his act. However due to the rise in interest rates and the emotional burden, I am trying to sell all properties.”

Unfortunately, due to the repairs that need to be made on the homes, Ms Landy said she has been advised that she cannot sell until the tenants move out.

“I don’t know if people fully understand the costs for owners, I do not believe that the tenant should bare the cost of the owners property. I think it comes back to a fair and reasonable arrangement that is not exploitative,” she said.

“We see a lot of landlords passing on the costs directly to the tenants while not even keeping property to minimum living standards.”

Ms Landy reiterated that both landlords and tenants were suffering right now and that there is “so much anger and sadness” on both sides.

“The whole system needs a shake up. People are terrified, and rightfully so, of their futures because they are so uncertain with all things relating to basic living needs,” she said.

“Even share houses are becoming unlivable as far as cost. People cannot go on holidays or do any of the usual routine social and self-care things that they once did. It is a very sad time and I hope things change soon.

“I hope that our Government steps in and starts looking at what is a broken system, I hope that people can have some respite from what is a complete financial crisis.”