Thread: Why do people do this sort of thing?

I was renting a place many years ago and had been living in it for about 6 years. I did my own maintenance in the place to keep it in good working order, one day when it was raining i could hear the sound of dripping water on the ceiling. Being a good tenant i email the agent ( the only way to get her attention) telling her about this, later the next day she rings me to tell me that someone has been into the flat and done an inspection in the roof space and found nothing wrong.
Thats funny, how did they get in there the agent doesnt have the spare key after i changed the lock forgot to give them
Well many months went by and everytime it rained i would email her and tell her again about the dripping water to no avail, as i was looking for a house to buy during this time i couldnt care theat much. So eventually the day of the big move, all the furniture and stuff gone to new joint and it starts to rain, well it rained for the next 4 days non stop.
Rang the stupid bimbo at the real estate for her to come do inspection, ageed the folowing morning. Get the nice and early just to check everything ship shape to find these black lines all down the wall (shi?) quickly cleaned the walls down again , agent appears does her inspection and asks do u still have that problem with the ceiling as i never got time to get someone around to look. I replied No as now it wasnt my problem now. just got to the bottom of the stairs when there was an almighty bang from upstairs and her screaming. Shot back up stairs to see her lying on the floor with the plasterboard on top of her and a pile of filthy water.
I helped her up and made sure she was ok, then she turns to me and says i thought u send the problem wasnt there anymore, to which i replied when you ask me you used present tense, as u released me from my from the lease before u ask me, the problem was no longer mine, it was your.
Do you know they tried to use my bond money to pay for the repairs, whent to tenants tribunal and won , as i kept all the emails to them asking for someone to look at it

Originally Posted by bitingmidge

Hmmmm...have you ever tried leaving a place in the same condition it was in when you arrived?

The advantage of digital cameras. Take 10,000 pictures of EXACTLY what the condition of the place was and it still costs nothing.

I was renting a house about ten years ago and being the good tenant that I am I cleaned all the gutters when I moved in. One of the downpipes was blocked and as it ran straight into the ground and out to the road there was nothing I could do about it. Rang the real estate and told them the gutter was overflowing and splashing up on the laundry door, that there was a rotten rafter in the pergola over the front door and that there must be a water leak as there was a soggy spot in the garden and the meter ran (slowly) when all the taps were off. They weren't all that keen to do anything about any of it, asking me if it was really important. I told them that in time the laundry door would need to be replaced (which I estimated at about $450 replaced and painted), that I wouldn't pay any excess water bills and that if the pergola fell on me I would be suing big time but as long as none of that was a problem for them then it wasn't a problem for me. Obviously she didn't understand sarcasm. When I moved out they tried to hit me with an excess water bill, ranted and raved because the laundry door was decomposing and asked me why I hadn't told them about the pergola which had started falling down. I hadn't really cared about the aesthitics of the place as it was just somewhere to sleep, I was working long days and paid someone to clean and mow. I produced a follow up fax that I had sent them after the initial call (without the sarcasm) and told them that I had fulfilled my obligations and obviously the person who had done the regular inspections didn't know what they were doing. If they wanted me to do their inspection work for them they would have to pay me. I didn't need to go to the rental board to get my bond back. Oh, and they tried to make a fuss about the condition of the paintwork. I told them I could get my mate who lived next door who is one of the biggest painting contractors around to sign a stat.dec.to the effect that that's what two coats of cheap acrylic look like after 20 years in the tropics. Agents have a duty to look after a property for their clients but most of the ones I have dealt with haven't a clue.
I also rented another place for about 4 years, big hillside job with a 3M deep pool, ocean views etc etc. Told them that there were termites in the pool deck. They sent out a pest controller who assured me that they weren't the sort of termites that were a worry to structures. I told the RE that I disagreed with his diagnosis. Their reply was a thinly veiled sneer of "what do you know, you yobbo tradesman type?" Just before I moved out they had a new pest controller come out (the other one came out every six months and still refused to believe that the termites were doing any damage). He absolutely freaked :eek: "Yur deck is full of termites, it's completely riddled with them". The RE tried to blame me! I told them I'd warned them about the termites in the first place but they had chose not to believe me. Then they tried to make out I should have told them the pest controller was wrong. I pointed out that I had in fact done so, but after all I was a layman and the pest controller was an expert. So then the (unlicensed) (un)handyman came out and started measuring up the deck. I rang the RE and asked them if they wanted a price for the repairs. "Oh no" said the property manager the owners want Bill to do the work. I found it hard to believe that the customer wouldn't want a second price, especially when I found at that Bill was the property manager's husband. Anyway he did an absolutely woeful job! Layed the decking wrong way up and shot it down with 2" nails out of a framing gun. Of course every board split. Then because the deck was an iregular shape the boards all ran off the edges at an angle. Poor bill couldn't work out how to do this properly and ended up nailing another board on top of the edge to cover up the ragged, crooked edge. When I pointed out that this would prevent me sweeping the leaves off the deck the reply was that that's how the owners wanted it - yeah right. When I moved out 6 months later the deck was already starting to decompose due to the composting leaves and trapped water on the reeded boards. I sent a letter to the owners after I moved out advising them to talk to the QBSA about the standard of the work on the deck. I'm not a dobber but the RE really shafted these poor folks.

Mick

OK, good news story. Soon after we built our 1st house I took a job OS, so naturally we were very worried about renting the house out. Rented to a young couple+ 1 small child, him in RAAF, and father in law used to collect the rent every month. Always good reports. Tennants asked could they use some spare bricks we had to build a BBQ. No problems Could they do some painting if we bought the paint. No problems. Dropped in after a year, tennants had done so much work around the place - gardens etc - and BBQ was more hi-tech than a Hercules (come to think of it, lots of it looked like they were off a Hercules..hmmmm). Gave them their bond back rather than have the worry of it, and they spent the next six years there keeping the place spotless and looking after it.

Unfortunately, the next tennants weren't quite so good.

Originally Posted by Bob Willson

The advantage of digital cameras. Take 10,000 pictures of EXACTLY what the condition of the place was and it still costs nothing.

A few years ago my daughter upon renting a flat got a friend, who was a camara addict, to video the condition of the flat. He made a 3 hour video slowly panning over every wall and ceiling and carpet, he even filmed the inside of every cupboard. He also filmed it on leaving.

On leaving the agent tried the keep the bond trick claiming damage. He was adament, so we took it straight away to the Tribunal. Boy was his face red when after cross examination by our lawyer he tendered the two video tapes to the Tribunal.


Peter.

Peter
I like you so don't take offense, but this has to be said.
Anyone who can afford a lawyer like you obviously can, is laughing. Pity about the other poor slobs who rely on the integrity of the human race.
What does this mean for us as a species, trust no one?
I think it sucks.
Digital cameras as a form of insurance! Stop this planet, I want to get off! :mad:
No I'm not threatening to leave these forums, it's nowhere near that serious, only the planet.

Marc,

You kind of just proved my point. Cheers.

Your last paragraph was basically suggesting I'd said something along the lines that landlords deserved to be ripped off? Err...

FYI my last landlord positively begged me to stay, rent always paid, unit always tidy, nothing ever for them to whinge about. Perhaps that's why I always get away with refusing rental increases...and for that matter I only ever sign one lease and just stay on after that...I wonder why I keep getting away with it...?

To be fair, my last RE agent wasn't too bad. They have been the glaring exception, rather than the rule. But it is still important to put them in their place and remind them that tenants are actually quite critical to their business. Most seem to forget this, while they're off on some power trip.

And further FYI - I have no sympathy for anyone that invests their money blindly in anything that barely makes it above inflation. That's their choice.

Sorry Marc, it looks like we aren't destined to be friends.

Originally Posted by hovo

Anyone who can afford a lawyer like you obviously can, is laughing. Pity about the other poor slobs who rely on the integrity of the human race.
What does this mean for us as a species, trust no one?
I think it sucks.

Jim, I can't afford a laywer.

But in my previous life, when according to Christopha I was a low life , and in my then professional capacity I regularly used this struggling young barrister who now is a good friend and an SC ( but then a QC ).

He was slumming it at the Residential Tribunal for me on a pro bono basis. Amazing how polite and helpfull the Tribunal was when the fully gowned and wigged QC walked in to appear on our behalf. The stupid agent was representing himself, no doubt done it and got away with it many times in withholding bond moneys, but not this time. BTW cost and interest on the withheld bond money were awarded against the agent.

No offense taken Jim, I wont even give you a red dot.


Peter.

Originally Posted by craigb

Did she not remonstrate with you? Or did she maybe think "mmm here's two rednecks, one of them's got a gun, maybe I'll just get back in the Range Rover and POQ" ?

We never actually spoke to the lady, who as Craig rightly guessed soon got back in the tractor and took off – I guess she realised we saved her $80 the vet would’ve charged for the big green dream injection - or perhaps she thought she might be next :eek: . I suggested to my brother he should pick it up and give it back to her – he told me to get –censored-. As it came out of a cardboard box my thoughts were that it was a one way trip for the cat.

Anyhow year to date there's been 6 cats trapped/shot on the property compared to 47 wild dogs including mongrel cross alsatians, ridgebacks, rotweilers, and whippet looking things. That doesn’t include the twenty three 1080 baits that have been taken. Sort of makes cat owners look half respectable compared to some of the dog owners out there. Anyone who decides to walk through the alpine national park these days without breaking the laws and carrying a firearm is either very brave or very stupid - potentially both.

Eastie the redneck

As for real estate agents ripping off landlords, i know do it to both of them. they treat tenants badly so i always over inflate my prices, the last one for instance the landlord rang me and asked how much to fix the decking in one of his rentals, get the to have a look and it was rooten to hell. Materails price to fix was $2000 total quote was $9470 i got the job, another one of his houses had 12 rooms excluding lounge and kitchen, bathrooms every other room was numbered 1 to12 and each had a student paying $600 per month and there he is telling me he cant afford to fix the tiles on the shower wall for $1000.
I have many client whom are landlords and there all the same. (tight asses)

I have manfully resisted joining in this thread because I didn't want to just add to the litany of complaints about real estate agents. My own experience with them has been mixed. I can recall at least two whom I reckon did a good job (one sold a house for me - one represented a landlord from whom I rented a property some years ago). However, Mick's comment reminded me of a relatively recent experience

Originally Posted by journeyman Mick

Agents have a duty to look after a property for their clients but most of the ones I have dealt with haven't a clue.

We returned to live in a house that had been rented out while on an assignment elsewhere. The RE agent did a final inspection and signed off that the tenant's bond should be returned. A day or two later and just prior to moving back in, I did my own inspection. I found a few issues. Nothing horrendous but a couple of things that needed to be fixed. I invited the RE agent to join me at the property to confirm my thoughts. On being shown the one or two issues, the young lady in question proceeded to lecture me in a loud voice and very patronising tone on the vicissitudes of life as a property owner. I recall her saying: "You have to expect this sort of thing" - at least three times. I let her go on for a bit and she obviously thought she had me convinced.

When she paused for breath I explained to her that she had made a mistake. The fact that I had been polite to her was simply an indication that I am well-mannered, not an indication of weakness of mind or spirit. I then (politely) threw her out, telling her to send her boss round and advising her that the word "agent" in her job title meant that her company was acting for someone. In this case me - not the tenant. Her boss rang me about 15 minutes later. I told him that his company owed me the bond money or free repairs. He had better make sure the bond was paid or the repairs effected or else I would go straight to the Small Claims Tribunal. Must have been convincing because the agent's handyperson arrived that afternoon and fixed the place up. Did quite a good job, too.

Col

Man where do i start

have rented from both the good and the downright evil.

the bad one said he would not/could not get a broken water pipe fixed for 3 days which meant we would have no water. So I dug up the pipe & found the he had tied a rubber bike tube around the pipe previously to seal a water leak (talk about dumb) so i fixed the pipework then when he wanted the rent i said i was taking the cost of material out of the rent money ( no labour) he tells me no way is he paying for the materials ( about $30) my wife came out to see what was all the carry on was about and had to tell me to leave the driveway , she knew i was about to kill this bloke.

and working for myself fixing aircons have had lots of work in the past for RE agents.
some good, most not so good, lots of wasted time with quotes and unpaid invoices
I now in general tell them i'm not interested in there work.
and dealing with most of the owners isnt much better as most want work done for nix and want 90 days to pay for it.

had one lady who wanted me to put in a full evap system in her rental property and pay me in 12 months, told her my forehead didnt have a sign on it which advertised me as the commonwealth bank, and if she wants finance then get it herself. but she insisted that i do it for her as she couldnt afford to do it now and needed it put in no matter what. Why? there was a very mean and nasty bikie renting her rental property and he was hot, she was scared.
very funny for me!! not so for her.

thats a big enough winge on my part I could tell you a hundred more stories as they seem to happen to me on a weekly basis with LL RE and rentals in general

Ian

I really hate some farmers who just seem to collect old machinery and let it go to waste and rust away on the property. What a god damn eye sore! Talking about giving me the irates!!!!!

Originally Posted by Kris.Parker1

I really hate some farmers who just seem to collect old machinery and let it go to waste and rust away on the property. What a god damn eye sore! Talking about giving me the irates!!!!!

We in the oil business take a very responsible approach when it comes to where we leave our rusting old rigs.....rather than have them creating an eyesore out in the beautiful Timor Sea we leave ém parked in Darwin Harbour.