Furious tenants receive huge bill from landlord after two-year lease: ‘Rip-off’
- Estate agents collect rent after wall damage.
- Whether the $120 charge is debatable? No, it took to Reddit and there was a debate.
- Many say the fee is reasonable, while others believe it should be regularly scrapped.
A tenant has gone viral on the internet after being tricked into paying their estate agent to remove markings from a wall.
A tenant in Melbourne was initially outraged by a $120 damage bill after leaving a property they had rented for two years.
They took to Reddit this week to get their fellow renters thinking.
‘I just left and the agent asked me for $120 to fix the rubbish. rip off?’ He captioned a ruined photo on a wall in their living space.
The tenant admitted that the wall was damaged.
Melbourne tenant charged $120 for wall damage (pictured)
Some argue that the landlord should be compensated because it is a ‘fair rip-off’ of the tenants, which does not require them to pay rent.
But many others jumped to the host’s defense and claimed that $120 was too fair.
‘The plaster needs to be patched,’ It’s not like patching the whole wall. So you need to paint,
Another said, ‘Pay an artist to do that and go to another job. $120 is not even close. I hope that there is a carpenter who will work in the real estate agency.
Some advise the tenant to get off lightly.
‘Why are you so curious that it’s an infidelity?’ It’s really just the cost of living in a country with a fair minimum wage. Another posted.
Others suggest that the tenant can easily repair the damage themselves.
‘A bit of toothpaste and a spatula will take care of the scratches (but even decent Polyfila costs about $6 a bottle). Then you need a little touch-up paint to cover it. It took about 15 minutes,” wrote a permanent tenant.
Another said: ‘If you want to save money, it’s easy to do it yourself. shirt sand
A third wrote: ‘Why don’t you fill yourself in before they see you?’
The tenant’s post about the $120 charge sparked mixed reactions online.
Many believe that $120 to repair a wall is reasonable, given the extensive process.
Some people say it would be cheaper and easier for the tenant to fix the wall.
Others say the damage should be classified as ordinary damage.
‘I can be misinformed, but five years or more after painting a wall, it’s probably worn out,’ a former agent told me.
Another said: ‘The rest of the place is fine and if this person has signed a lease for at least 12 months, it’s ragged and torn.’
Helpful viewers shared their step-by-step DIY guide to fixing the damage.
‘The whole thing will cost you about $30-40 and you can use it for years on all your rentals. Great for small holes or stains like this. It’s so good to feel good when you’re out and about,’ he wrote.
The Reddit writer later thanked everyone for their input and admitted the fee was fair.
They said, ‘As someone with no experience in maintenance services, the $120 charge comes as a shock to a small gas, not knowing the cost of materials and the amount of work required.
Some argue that a property manager should treat damaged property as normal wear and tear (stock image of a tenant and a realtor);
