‘I was a perfect tenant but the property manager still tried to keep my bond’

“Don’t feel like you’re being annoying to point out every single scratch because you never know which property manager you’re gonna come across,” Sean advises in the video.

Sean's property manager tried to keep his bond and allegedly blamed him for existing damage to the property. Source: TikTok/seanous11

Sean has lived in the same area of Sydney for a few years and has never faced any issues. 

But that all changed when he moved into a new property in the city’s suburbs. 

In early 2023, Sean’s landlord dropped a bombshell rent hike of $700, essentially forcing him to leave the property. 

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Property manager tried to “keep bond” from tenants

Succumbing to the price hike, he packed up his belongings and found a new place. That was when the real problems began, he explained on TikTok. 

“To no one’s surprise, our property manager is trying to keep our bond from us,” he began. “In spite of them trying their best not to repair a single damn thing during the entire tenancy.” 

Sean used the cleaners recommended by the property manager for their end-of-lease cleaning to avoid any issues moving forward. 

However, when the cleaners arrived, he alleged they “ended up causing serious damage to the staircase by pouring some sort of chemicals that ruined the varnish.” 

So he sent an email to the property manager to explain the situation and sent "before and after" images of the damage the cleaners created on the stairs. 

The property manager didn’t respond to the email, Sean alleged. 

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Sean was slapped with charges for damage he allegedly never caused. Source: TikTok/seanous11

“Be incredibly meticulous when filing your condition report”

“Two days later, we get a whole list of deductions that they’re trying to take from our bond,” he explained. 

“And the first [deduction] … what is it?” he asked. “The cleaners’ f***ing damage.” 

Next on the list were broken lights, which Sean alleged weren’t working when they arrived, as written in the property’s condition report. 

“They promised us they’d all be fixed before we move,” he said. “And they still have the audacity to try and charge us despite how hard it was to try and get anything fixed.” 

Other issues raised by the landlord included damaged floorboards, which Sean also alleged were “severely scratched up” when they first moved in. 

This was rejected by the property manager, who claimed the tenants were responsible for the damage to the floorboards, so they sent a quote for $1,200 to repair it. 

“This is in addition to the cleaners’ damage and the lights as well,” Sean added in a follow-up video. 

“So we called the Tenants Union for a bit of advice on what to do,” he added. Because Sean had “filed the bond first”, it made it “a lot harder for them to take the bond from us,” he explained. 

Faced with a tribunal, one Saturday morning, Sean woke up to a “hefty sum of money” in his bank account. “Sure enough, the bond has been returned,” he said. 

He advised other renters to “be incredibly meticulous” when doing a condition report.

“Don’t feel like you’re being annoying to point out every single scratch because you never know which property manager you’re gonna come across,” he said. 

“The saga is over,” he concluded. “I hope my property manager and landlord have a lovely day.” 

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Sean eventually got his bond back. Source: TikTok/seanous11

“Always take photos and videos when you move in”

Sean isn’t the only one facing issues with property managers, as the video’s comments reflected.

“This is why I always keep a copy of the entrant report and take photos before I move in,” someone wrote. “I always take photos and videos at move-in,” advised another person. 

“Old agent tried to charge me $400 for the tiniest little chip in the kitchen countertop,” someone wrote. “It was there before we moved in.”

“I had something similar,” said another. “They tried to take $1500 for a scratch on the floor, I asked to see the quote and then three days later had the bond returned.” 

“So sorry you’re going through this,” another renter said. “I’m from Melbourne and have been waiting two years for our bond (waiting to be seen by VCAT).”

Others congratulated Sean for sticking to his guns. “Well done, young man,” a person said. “Thank you for sharing your experience,” another applauded.

Originally published as ‘I was a perfect tenant but the property manager still tried to keep my bond’