Disgruntled former tenants … from left, Tracy Randall, Nanango; Neil Smith, Kingaroy; Jayna Cunningham, Kingaroy; and Ashlea Ellem, Kingaroy

Former Tenants Swap Horror Stories

A group of South Burnett residents have banded together on Facebook – and now in real life – to support each other after bad experiences as tenants.

The group, who met for the first time on Wednesday morning, have a warning for would-be renters: only deal with reputable real estate agencies.

They have also warned property owners to check the business reputation of agencies before placing their properties with them to manage.

The residents – who are now all happily housed in other premises – swapped horror stories about their experiences.

Their tales alleged cash deposits which had not been not receipted, property inspections which had been carried out without notice and requests for repairs ignored.

They spoke about disputes over bond money and rental payments, abusive SMS messages and even alleged sexual harassment.

A locked Facebook group – which now has almost 40 members – was started in early September to allow the group to encourage each other to take action.

Some have now lodged complaints with the Office of Fair Trading.

October 23, 2013

Would-be tenants should follow their “gut instinct” when trying to locate a rental property, and should not be afraid to walk away and not sign a lease if something feels wrong.

This is the advice from Kingaroy real estate agency Across Country Real Estate to residents who have complained to southburnett.com.au (see box, at right) about bad rental experiences they have had in the past.

Bill Steffensen said unfortunately there were sometimes individuals in the industry who gave all honest real estate agents a bad name.

He said tenants had rights and these were explained in the Residential Tenancies Authority guide “Renting A House or Unit in Queensland” (Form 17a) which they should receive when they entered into a lease.

This information booklet explains the minimum notice periods required before an owner or agent can visit a premises (ie seven days notice for a routine inspection; 24 hours to show the premises to a prospective purchaser).

Mr Steffensen emphasised that no one should ever hand over cash without receiving a receipt.

“If they’re not willing to give you a receipt, take your money and walk away,” he said.

He said any promises made by the agent should also be put in writing.

Likewise, all complaints or requests for repairs should also be put in writing to the agent.

This can be an email if this is specified in the General Tenancy Agreement.

If the agent fails to complete the repairs, a Form 11 “Notice To Remedy Breach”, can be issued.

Real estate sales specialist Dianne Zelinksi, from Across Country, said both tenants and property owners should take the time to talk to other people before choosing an agency.

“Talk to other people about their reputation, find out how long they have been operating,” she said.

“The vast majority of agents are reputable but if you are being badly treated, go to the Real Estate Institute of Queensland and the Office of Fair Trading to see where you stand.”