Real estate agency slammed after bragging online about ‘negotiating’ rent increase for tenant of $90 a week
- Realtor brags he landed ‘win-win’ rent of $90 a week
- The QLD tenants’ lawyer said the sum was a ‘very, very large rent increase to absorb’
- Cash-strapped tenants in store for more pain as house and apartment rents rise
A tenants’ lawyer exposed a real estate agency that bragged about making a deal for a landlord who saw a tenant pay an extra $90 a week.
The message from the Brisbane agency described the deal as “a real win-win” for both parties.
Bees Nees City Realty boasted that it negotiated the rent hike paid by the tenants, who had been in the house since 2016.
It comes as tenants in Brisbane face a grim reality with a report on the estate’s rents revealing a price increase – the biggest in the city’s history – of 14.9 per cent, or $65, at the during the year preceding March.
Penny Carr, CEO of Tenants Queensland, blasted the social media post, saying it was “callous” for Bees Nees City Realty to say it was a “win-win” situation as the City tenants struggle with limited vacancies and inflated rents.
The post boasted that the owners of a house (pictured) had secured a $90-a-week rent increase without changing tenants, as Brisbane’s rent hikes are proving a boon for landlords, but not so much for city tenants.
Unit prices were not far behind, with an annual increase of 7.5 percent.
The now-deleted post said the landlords got the raise without changing their tenants, an idea that is a boon for landlords but not so much for the city’s unfortunate tenants.
Penny Carr, CEO of Tenants Queensland, dismissed the idea that a tenant would be happy with such a ‘massive rent increase’.
“I think they live in a parallel universe to the one I live in, because I don’t know any tenant who thinks a $90-a-week rent increase is a happy outcome.” Ms Carr told Daily Mail Australia.
“It’s very insensitive for an agency to say it’s a win-win situation for all parties.”
Low inventory, Covid-hit housing development and high levels of migration from other states have been blamed for compounding the city’s rental woes, and insiders say there’s more to come .
“These are rental dynamics that Brisbane hasn’t seen in a long time,” Areas said the head of economics and research, Dr Nicola Powell.
“I think there are a variety of different things going on; when you look at the latest population statistics – we have the highest growth of any state and the driver of that growth has been interstate migration.
“Then when you see the vacancy rate so tight, rents will only keep going up.” It’s really a landlord’s market and there’s just no choice for renters.
Low stock, Covid-hit housing development and high levels of migration from other states have been blamed for exacerbating Brisbane’s rental woes, and insiders say there’s more to come.
Ms. Carr said tenants didn’t have much flexibility due to the city’s tight market for vacant homes and tenants had been forced to keep their heads down.
“We’re seeing a lot of rent increases, probably most often between $30 and $60 a week, but we’ve definitely seen some with this [$90] also amount.
“So many people don’t want to speak up or act on their rights, or raise their heads because they’re just too afraid of being kicked out of this market,” Ms Carr said.
She advised tenants if they receive an exorbitant rent increase to seek free advice from Queensland tenants and inform themselves as much as possible.
She also advocated for stricter tenancy laws and for social housing to become more available.
Bees Nees City Realty has been contacted for comment by Daily Mail Australia.
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