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Nov 18, 2023

Renter furious after being charged for bond cleaner’s mishap: ‘The audacity’

A Sydney renter has expressed his frustration after his real estate agent

A Sydney renter has expressed his frustration after his real estate agent attempted to claim his bond when the agent-recommended cleaner damaged the floorboards.

The tenant took to TikTok to share his experience using the agent-recommended cleaner "just to be safe".

"We used the cleaners they recommended because we knew they would try to pull something on us," TikToker seanou11 said.

"And the cleaners somehow ended up causing serious damage to the staircase by pouring some sort of chemicals that ruined the varnish.

"The first thing we did was email the property manager saying ‘hey, this wasn't us, this was them’ and then prayed that the cleaners would send us some before-and-after photos, which they did."

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Sean said, despite having the photos from the cleaners, the real estate agent was adamant they still had to pay for the damage.

"I don't know why I'm being a bit cynical, but I think that maybe part of their business strategy is to lie in the condition report and say everything's perfect and hope that we don't pick up on those things or hoping that tenants don't potentially know their rights and, then at the end of the tenancy, they try and charge them," he said.

On top of the floorboard issue, Sean said the real estate agent also attempted to charge them for lights that were not working, and that had been broken since before they moved into the property.

"Of course [when we] move in no lights are working, [which was] all in the condition report and they still have the audacity to try and charge us despite how hard it was to try and get anything fixed," he said.

Tenants’ Union NSW policy and advocacy manager Jemima Mowbray told Yahoo Finance renters only had to return in the same condition, or as close to the same condition, as when they moved in.

"When you're giving vacant possession, when you're handing it back, it needs to be essentially, as nearly as possible, the same condition as when you receive it," Mowbray said.

"You can take into account fair wear and tear that might have happened, and where there has been damage or any issues, they are really only liable when they've been negligent and that's when the landlord can kind of seek compensation."

Mowbray said that, when someone is living in a home, things are going to happen that are just part of daily life, and tenants cannot be charged for those things.

"The landlord has to take into account that people have been living in this home for a couple of years, and there might be a couple of scratches on the kitchen counter because you've been cooking there," she said.

"So, unless it's clear that the scratch is actually because of negligence rather than just normal use of a kitchen, they're actually not entitled to compensation."

Mowbray said it was important to seek some tenancy advice, which you can get free from your local tenant services.

"You also want to start a conversation with the landlord or their agent about the damage. Maybe they haven't understood the issue or you can show them some of the evidence potentially of when you came in and what the property looks like now," she said.

Say you’re ironing a shirt and the iron drops to the carpet and burns a spot. Mowbray said you may not be liable to pay for the entire carpet to be re-done, just for the section you damaged.

"As a tenant you may say, ‘Yeah, sure, that particular area of the carpet being damaged was my fault’, but then you aren't liable to re-cover the whole house. You may only be liable for a portion of the cost that's required to fix that," Mowbray said.

"You also need to be given receipts or quotes for the work that's going to be done. They can't just pull a number out of the air. They need to be able to show you they can only seek compensation for the actual economic loss that they're suffering."

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