The Saga Of A Sydney Renter’s $1400 Increase Just Keeps On Going, So BRB Moving To Mullumbimby

The saga continues, after Sydney renter Chantelle Schmidt copped a $700 per fortnight increase on her Redfern share house, and now it looks like her landlord won’t even be open to negotiation.

Earlier this week, Schmidt posted a letter she received on TikTok informing her that her rent would increase from $1900 to $2600 a fortnight. That’s a jump of $1400 a month. A fucking month!!!

@chantellecschmidt

FML. #sydneyrent #sydneyrentals #help #housingmarket #housingmarket2023

♬ original sound – Chantelle Schmidt

In the letter, they explained that the jump was only to “bring rent in line with what the current market is achieving.”

Sadly, they aren’t wrong about the demand for rental properties being fucked at the moment, but it doesn’t mean landlords should take advantage of desperate people.

It’s so grim out there, that some people are legitimately renting their own balcony for $300 a week.

After going viral for that cooked letter, plenty of people expressed their concerns online and some even provided some good advice. Schmidt took some of that advice on and revealed that she tried to negotiate.

She argued that other three-bedroom rentals in the Sydney suburb of Redfern were less expensive had more desirable qualities, like three bathrooms and no construction on the street.

However, the agent wrote back and said: “I have spoken to the landlord and unfortunately he was very stern about not negotiating the increase.”

“The rent has been cheap for quite some time and we are confident that we could relet the property at the increased amount. Sorry I couldn’t be a bearer of better news,” the agent added.

@chantellecschmidt

Please, humour me more about the market. #rentnegotiation #tribunal #rentalcrisis #sydneyrentalcrisis #rentalproperty #housingcrisis

♬ original sound – Chantelle Schmidt

PEDESTRIAN.TV spoke to Chantelle Schmidt about the disappointing news from her Sydney landlord, and she explained what her next steps might be now that she knows the increase is imminent.

“People have been suggesting that I move out and find another place, but it’s just not as simple as that,” she said. “In fact, it’s incredibly bloody risky given the current supply and demand issue.”

“I’m definitely not the only one going through this — far from it,” she continued.

“Renters are feeling like their hands are tied and they are being backed into a corner. Hopefully sharing the process can assist others who are also copping this at the moment, and fingers crossed we see some limits on rental increases in the near future.”

Schmidt also said that she hasn’t given up just yet, and she’ll be making more moves in the coming weeks. So stay tuned!

“The advice I’ve been receiving online has been invaluable to our household, and we’ll be taking them on board and exploring them over the coming weeks. There are decisions that need to be made at an individual and household level; it’s not so clearcut,” Schmidt said.