Dragon Ladies Of Property Management

by Tim O’Dwyer M.A., LL.B Queensland Solicitor & Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au

An ABC radio presenter recently recounted during her programme her parents’ “nightmarish encounter” with a real estate rental manager.

Mum and Dad rented a house for some years, met the owner, were good tenants, painted a couple of rooms and “it’s all been sweet”.

Then the manager left. The new woman advised the couple that the rent was going up $10.00 a week. They refused to accept this, but still signed a fresh lease after changing the rental figure back to the current one. They kept paying the old rate, and soon copped an arrears notice. Then the owner dropped in. “Just visiting.” He knew nothing of the rent increase or the notice.

“It turns out” the presenter continued, “they’d been lied to.” Both landlord and tenants had “been spun stories by this woman in the rentals department …playing both sides off each other”.

I was invited by the presenter to comment on air. The first question was: Do rental managers have to represent both parties fairly?

Continue reading “Dragon Ladies Of Property Management”