A pair of landlords in NSW have FINALLY been held accountable for not dealing with the mould growing in a rental property they own. Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Let’s investigate.
The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) deemed the landlords had to fork out $5,000 smackos for failing to fix the mould issue.
It was decided the property had gone beyond a “reasonable state of repair”, per 7News.
The mould eventually grew throughout the home and created bad air and bad vibes for everyone involved.
The original complaint went back to March of 2021 with the resident living in the property until April 2022.
That’s a lot of time to be housemates with some not-so-fun fungi!
“I am satisfied the bedroom was uninhabitable from the time the mould appeared on the ceiling, being unlikely to be able to be adequately cleaned or remedied by the tenant given the underlying cause of the water ingress was not repaired,” General Member of the Tribunal Sharon Hanstein said of her ruling.
“I am satisfied from the mould inspection report that the mould was extensive, and active spores present, such that the tenant should not be in the premises.”
Though, as is the case with all rental stories nowadays, there is a downside.
The complainant had originally asked for $15,000 in compensation. The figure would’ve helped cover the cost of moving house, damage to belongings, and a rent reduction.
The landlords responded by saying that they had behaved with “reasonable diligence in respect of the required repairs, by lodging an insurance claim and, when that was denied, seeking quotes for repairs”.
Lol.
Earlier this month, renters advocate and all-round good bloke Jordie van den Berg (famously known as Purple Pingers) launched the website shitrentals.org.
“It’s super clunky atm but that’s because websites are expensive, and I want everything to be free for everyone and forever (people who try and profit from renters make me sick),” he said in a statement on X.
Pingers then explained that it’s a website created for people to chuck in candid reviews of rentals whether you’re a current tenant, a previous tenant or someone who only just inspected a property.
Slowly but surely renters are making a comeback!
Trust the process, people. Believe in the mission.
Header image Yevhen Smyk via iStock.
