25-04-2025
‘The owner can use the apartment for her sole use': Social media roasts greedy landlord after jaw-dropping fine print
A would-be landlord in the New South Wales' Hunter region has gone viral on social media after advertising their 'fabulous' two-bedroom apartment for rent with one major clause.
The advertisement, which was posted on rental website featured a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with idyllic ocean views from the spacious balcony.
'Fabulous '2 bed 2 bath 2 car with storage' apartment in Tomaree St Nelson Bay with an amazing 3rd level view of the ocean overlooking Nelson Bay with massive balcony and living area,' the listing said.
At first, the listing looked like an absolute steal amid the notoriously tight rental market in the area, with an advertised price of $380 per week plus bills.
However, it soon became clear that the lucky tenant would not be entitled to live in the home full time despite paying market rent.
'It's available for the right person's sole longer term use about 85 per cent of the time,' the listing said.
'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 6 months - mainly Thu, Fri and Sat nights).'
Further down, the landlord requested that the tenant ensures the apartment is left in a 'great to come home condition', which sounded more like an advertisement for a house sitter or live-in cleaner rather than a paying tenant.
'Owner is a working professional from Sydney who loves this weekender to come to when time permits,' the listing said.
'Values privacy and respects that for others in addition to an expectation to maintain a clean 'great to come home to' environment.'
The bizarre listing has drawn scorn online, with one commenter claiming the 'greedy' listing was a sign of 'negative gearing gone mad'.
'They want their cake and eat it too, what's the bet that they are claiming 100% from the ATO as well,' one user wrote via the Daily Mail.
'Tell her to stick it where the sun don't shine,' another user agreed.
The jaw-dropping advertisement comes weeks after a new report revealed the staggering weekly earnings now required to pay market rent around the country.
In the Priced Out 2025 report by Everybody's Home, which examined the incomes of people earning between $40,000 and $130,000, it was revealed even renters earning $100,000 were 'struggling' to make ends meet.
The report said only those earning a gross income of at least $130,000 per year could sustainably pay rent, with average rent taking up 30 per cent of income Australia-wide and 38 per cent in capital cities.
