‘I'm now afraid': Rental nightmare has 27-year-old living in fear

News.com.au

19 hours ago

A young couple have been left fuming after being locked in a battle with their landlord and property manager over multiple leaks in their rental, which have allegedly gone unaddressed for months.
Pablo Martinez, 27, and his girlfriend had been living in a three-bedroom apartment in North Sydney happily for over two years and the pair signed on to renew their lease for a further six months in early May.
The apartment, which costs $1225 a week, started leaking during the torrential rain that hit Sydney in late May.
The leaks are in the hallway, lounge room, bathroom and on the balcony, which is then leaking into the third bedroom, turning their home into a disaster.
Speaking to news.com.au, Mr Martinez said he is fed up with waiting around for the landlord to fix the problems, claiming he raised the issue over two months ago and nothing has been fixed.
Mr Martinez rents the apartment and has found it impossible to get a resolution through the property market.
'They've just started to fix it, but just one problem, and they haven't given a date for when they are fixing the rest of them,' he said.
'Last Friday an electrician came to check a few lights that were off because of the water ingress.'
Mr Martinez claims that he flagged the leaking issues with the real estate as soon as the problem occurred but it took weeks for someone to even come out and inspect the property to assess the damage.
'No one came for weeks and the stains started getting worse on the carpet and on the wardrobe. There's mould everywhere,' he said.
The 27-year-old said, by the time a tradie did come out to check on the apartment, he was very concerned about the water damage in the third bedroom.
'He was checking the wall in the third bedroom and he said, 'mate, you've got a big problem of mould and moisture in this wall'. He said the problem was bad,' he explained.
The tradie also went into the bathroom and claimed there was 'moisture everywhere', which further concerned Mr Martinez, who isn't comfortable living in a mould-riddled apartment.
'It doesn't smell but, for example, in the third bedroom it is cooler because it is wet,' he said.
Mr Martinez said the balcony leak is now finally being fixed, but that is the least of his worries.
'They're just fixing one problem but it isn't the worst one,' he said.
He is now far most concerned about a water leak coming from the ceiling that is right near a light.
'I'm now afraid that the leaking water could get into the electrical stuff and, at any moment, we could have a fire in the apartment,' he said.
In an email seen by news.com.au, the electrician who visited the property said a light fitting was 'completely filled with water' that had to be dried out.
'This indicates that the underlying issue is inadequate waterproofing at the property. This matter is the responsibility of the strata and should be referred to them for rectification to prevent further damage or safety hazards,' the email read.
The leaking apartment has been a problem for months.
Mr Martinez has been in an ongoing back-and-forth with the real estate agency since the problems began.
'I started checking all my rights trying to work out what is going to happen. I asked for a rent reduction, and (was told the landlord was) willing to give me a once off $500,' he said.
However, the renter believes he should be getting at least 30 per cent off his weekly rent until the issues are fixed.
In emails seen by news.com.au, Mr Martinez requested a rent reduction on June 27 because of the ongoing water damage issues.
'The problem started since 21 of May and it hasn't been fixed yet and no one has told me anything about it,' he wrote, adding he would like to request a discount of $450 per week until the 'problem is totally resolved'.
On July 7, after no reply, Mr Martinez sent a follow-up email.
'I just want to follow up about my request two weeks ago,' he wrote.
The property manager replied and explained that the landlord had requested a routine inspection prior to any further discussions around the rent reduction.
According to emails, the agent then asked to come and expect the property on July 28, with Mr Martinez following up after the inspection and asking if there was any word on a potential rent reduction.
'Unfortunately fixing the issue is not within our or the landlord's ability as the cause of the issue is from the building,' the real estate agent wrote back.
'We have been discussing this with the building manager as they will need to complete works on the building to fix the cause of the leak.
'I will come back to you as soon as I hear back from the landlord.'
On August 4, Mr Martinez sent another email, arguing that the leaking issues had 'significantly impacted on the habitability of the property' and was requesting urgent action.
'A specialist inspection confirmed water infiltration, humidity build-up, and visible mould affecting both walls and flooring in one of the rooms and two leaking problems through the ceiling in the common areas,' he wrote.
'To date, no repairs have been initiated, and the problem remains unresolved. Furthermore, we have been requesting a rent reduction for several weeks because one room of the property has been exposed to the moisture.
'However, despite multiple follow-ups, we have not received any response or acknowledgment of this request.'
Mr Martinez warned that if he didn't get a response by August 7, 2025, he would have no choice but to lodge an application with the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal to get the issue resolved.
'I remain available and willing to work with you cooperatively toward a fair resolution. However, given the time elapsed and lack of communication, I ask that this matter now be treated with the urgency it requires,' he added.
The real estate agency replied and said the owner is 'willing to offer a $500 one off credit on your rental ledger' for the inconvenience caused due to the water ingress.
The 27-year-old said the $500 offer made him feel 'f**king angry' because he feels that he is entitled to at least 30 to 50 per cent off and it felt like an insult.
Mr Martinez also alleged that, during a phone conversation with the real estate agent, he was told that the owner lives overseas and isn't interested in investing a lot of money in fixing the apartment, which left him fuming.
'This leaking is a big problem and it is dangerous,' he argued.
As it stands Mr Martinez is paying full rent for an apartment that is filled with mould.