A Melbourne tenant who was threatened with eviction over ADHD medication says their notice has been overturned and an investigation has been launched into their property manager.
It comes after the property manager recently carried out an inspection on Sam’s* house, and asked questions about bottles of ADHD medication.
Sam, who told PEDESTRIAN.TV they didn’t want to use their real name out of fear of repercussion, said the manager then acted “weird” for the rest of the inspection, before phoning them up the next day to evict them due to “illicit drug use” on the property.
They said the landlord only stopped the eviction after they were forced to challenge it, adding that the real estate agent was looking into the actions of the property manager.
“We have sought legal advice and are currently working towards a resolution regarding the alleged discrimination,” they said in an update shared online.
“The real estate’s local manager has since responded to us and we are currently working with our legal representation on moving forward with this.
“Management above them have become involved. We are currently waiting to hear the outcome of their own investigation into the conduct of the property manager.”
Sam also claimed the property manager said they had “broken the law” by going to the media to “make slanderous comments and lie”, and ended up contacting the landlord directly.
“[The landlord] has provided us with written evidence that he was misinformed about the nature of the drug use (he was told that there were methamphetamines present, not dexamphetamines) and has provided us with an apology,” they said.
“He had not seen photo evidence of the alleged illicit drug use at the time and had placed trust in the agency to report accurately. He has mentioned that he is seeking a different agency moving forward and will keep us updated.”
Had the eviction gone ahead, it would likely have breached the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, which is federal legislation that makes it illegal to discriminate against anyone with a disability.
Part of this act, section 25, specifically covers accomodation, and states that a breach is punishable by up to six months in jail.
It looks like this property manager is joining a long line of those who seem to feel they can evict renters on a whim, especially in states with no-cause evictions that see renters kicked out for even simple maintenance requests.
Renters rights still have a long way to go and even though progress is being made, it seems change just can’t come soon enough.
*Name has been changed.
