The idea that landlords can be petty and unreasonable has become a collective fact across the internet. But now, one woman has claimed hers took it way too far, by using her apartment when she wasn't home.
Tahlia Smith from Brisbane made the move to Sydney, where she found a suitable "fully furnished" and "cheap" property for her and her husband.
In the viral footage shared to TikTok, Tahlia confessed to being "naive" about the rental market as the pair had never visited Sydney before. "We thought we were doing the right thing because we were going through a legitimate, well-known real estate," she told viewers, adding that she would never use them again.
When they arrived at the property, Tahlia claimed "It smelled like it had just been cleaned, like 10 minutes before. The fan was on, the lights were on, and the back door was unlocked."
Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter
She went on to claim that the owner of the apartment was living in a van "right outside of the property," and would casually check the mail and bins in the garden. One day, Tahlia alleged that the woman was sitting in the garden, having a cup of tea with a friend.
Tahlia reported this to the real estate agency, who reportedly responded: "That's the owner, she's going back to Queensland soon, it's all going to be fine."
@tahlz89Sometimes we drive past the place to see if the van’s there and usually it is ?? #rentalcrisisaustralia #rentalcrisissydney #nightmareowner #rentingaustralia
The clip left fellow TikTokers stunned, with one writing: "What the heck glad you're out of that place!"
Another added: "I would have exposed her on Current Affair! obviously she had some troubles, but that is no excuse to use your things sorry "steal" How awful."
Meanwhile, a third commented: "This is insanity, are you kidding me?!! I’m so glad you’re out of there!!!!"
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
