Shocked Aussies react to landlord's 'insane' request: 'Never seen this'

Daily Mail​

24-04-2025

Aussies renting a property in an idyllic coastal getaway would be required to vacate the home for up to a month if their landlord wanted to stay.
The landlord is currently looking for a tenant to rent their 'fabulous' two-bedroom apartment in Nelson Bay, two-and-a-half hours north of Sydney, for $380-a-week.
Potential renters would enjoy an 'amazing third level view of the ocean overlooking Nelson Bay with a massive balcony and living area'.
But, they would only be able to reside in the home 85 per cent of the time and would be required to leave when the landlord fancied a getaway.
'You will be expected to vacate the property so the owner can use the apartment for her sole use about 15 per cent of the time, about 30 days over six months, mainly Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights,' the listing states.
The listing went on to say 'owner is a working professional from Sydney who loves this weekender to come to when time permits'.
Aussies were left stunned by the landlord's proposal.
'I'd like to think with such an insane condition that it's really cheap, but I bet the type of person that asks for this still has the gall to ask for heaps of money too,' one said.
'I can't imagine anyone agreeing to that disruption, unless there was a house-swap going on so the renter could stay in the owner's place in Sydney.'
CEO of the Tenants' Union of New South Wales, Leo Patterson Ross, told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday the landlord wasn't complying with the rules.
'This practice isn't permitted under the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 and is likely to lead to disputes with confusion and frustration around the actual usage,' he said.
'We need listings sites like flatmates.com.au (which is owned by the REA group) to ensure listings are compliant with relevant laws and this may require regulation of the sector from Fair Trading NSW.'
The $380-a-week rent does not cover internet or bills. The property, which requires tenants to sign a minimum three-month lease is about 500metres from Nelson Bay.
Some Aussies said the landlord would likely find a tenant to agree to the inconvenient conditions due to Australia's crippling housing market.
'Accommodation is stupidly scarce at the bay. I've no doubt this person will get someone to agree to this. It's really gotten way too out of hand,' one wrote.
'I've actually never seen this. Can you imagine having to leave your house... and the landlord sleeps in your bed,' another said.