Sydney property offered with one year free rent in exchange for full renovation as rental crisis persists
An “uninhabitable home” advertised with a year’s free rent has gone viral, highlighting the shocking conditions some tenants are expected to endure as a result of the rental crisis.
An “uninhabitable home” advertised with a year’s free rent in exchange for a full renovation has gone viral, highlighting the poor living conditions some tenants are expected to endure as a result of the rental crisis.
The three-bedroom house in the southwest Sydney suburb of Greenacre was described as the “home perfect for a growing family”. Offered on a three-year lease term, the first year would be free so long as the incoming tenant was able to complete a full renovation of the home, which was advertised as “uninhabitable, with work “required before moving in”.
The following two years would be billed at market rent of $650 per week.
The year of free rent – valued at approximately $33,000 – is to cover the cost of renovation, as the advertisement said the landlord could not afford the renovation themselves.
“Opportunity for a savvy minded person or persons with trade knowledge and experience,” the listing read. “The successful tenant to pay for full renovation at their own expense.”
The agent attached to the listing, director of I Group Real Estate – Yagoona, Rabie Chehade, declined to comment. It was removed from realestate.com.au after seven hours on Sunday.
CoreLogic records show the home was last purchased in 2012 for $485,000 and has no prior rental history. The owner of the property, Trigas Services, has 10 other residential and commercial properties within its portfolio.
The house is currently valued at an estimated $1.35m.
Fair Trading NSW confirmed the listing did not comply with requirements that a landlord must offer a home in “a reasonable state of cleanliness for habitation by the tenant”.
The home is evidence of the erosion of quality in the rental pool, said the executive director of tenants group Better Renting, Joel Dignam, adding that many in desperate situations were unable to advocate for themselves for fear of being homeless.
“It is dire out there,” Mr Dignam said. “It shows up in the actual quality of the properties themselves and, really, an erosion of what we’ve come to expect from a home.”
In the first three months of the year, NSW Fair Trading received 169 tenancy complaints related to repairs and maintenance. The most common complaints related to electrical appliances not working, mould, water penetration and leaks.
Real Estate Institute of Australia president Hayden Groves said agents should refuse to act for landlords who want to list uninhabitable homes.
“It puts the tenants at unnecessary risk … and real estate agents who entertain these sorts of things by acting on behalf of landlords are effectively transferring the risk from the landlord directly to themselves, which is pretty foolish,” Mr Groves said.
He said in some instances, tenants can agree to do small renovations for a landlord in exchange for payment or reduced rent, such as painting or fixing a fence.
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