The exposed horror reality for tenants in NSW
A video tour of a Sydney home recently listed for rent has exposed the living conditions some tenants have been expected to endure, with the home alleged to have a trashed kitchen and leaking ceiling.
Posted to Instagram by online content creator Jordan van den Lamb, who has garnered a large following from exposing less-than-desirable listings, the video casts the spotlight on a $550 a week listing in the inner west suburb of Burwood.
Images reveal a deteriorating kitchen missing cupboards and drawers below the sink. Some of the last remaining doors appear to be hanging barely from hinges.
'So (the agents) describe this place as having a good condition kitchen and bathroom,' Mr Van den Lamb stated in the video. 'But this is the kitchen – if by good they mean, bad, then maybe.'
Mr Van den Lamb, who often posts content under the tag 'Sh*t Rentals', revealed in the video that the images were taken from someone from the group's subreddit, who inspected the residence.
'This is a photo of the bedroom ceiling, which just reminds me of really bad psoriasis,' he said. 'So anyways, thanks for wasting this person's time.'
The Burwood listing comes off the back of revelations of another Sydney rental in squalid condition, shared via TikTok video.
The former tenant alleged that the Petersham rental included a bug infestation throughout the house, a window that could be opened from the outside as well as a random shipping container in the backyard.
The creator said she spent $240 a week on rent which was the least out of the sharehouse's nine tenants, with some people paying $350 a week.
These rentals have been listed as a prominent tenants' rights group warned recent regulation changes have given NSW tenants a raw deal.
The June changes have made it easier for landlords to evict tenants and undermine earlier reforms which sought to make it illegal for tenants to be evicted without reason, according to the Tenants Union of NSW.
The Tenants Union pointed to previous requirements for landlords wanting to evict tenants for major repairs or renovations to give a written statement, tradie quotes for required works or proof of development approval.
This measure was intended to ensure landlord claims of renovations were genuine and significant enough to warrant eviction and not simply a tactic to unfairly evict tenants, the union said.
It claims a move by the NSW government in June to quietly remove this key safeguard, which means landlords do not have to provide the same level of renovations evidence as before, has opened the way for unjust 'renovictions'.
The NSW Tenants' Union said the changes open the door to non-genuine 'renovictions'.
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