Pretty much as per the thread title. My rent has gone up $45 per week in the last year and I received a letter just over a month ago stating that there would be a further $50p/w increase. I’ve been here for 6 years and the landlord has never made any repairs to the property, which is actually very big for a one bedroom, but isn’t in the greatest condition. It is, however, below the excessively high Sydney market rates.
I wrote to the land agent saying I thought a 35% increase within 15 months was excessive given the problems (primarily cracks, some damp, and very badly pealing ceilings). The land agent replied that the increase would stand. I then lodged a complaint with the Tenancy Tribunal, who issued notice of a hearing.
Today I received an email stating that the landlord no longer wished to increase the rent - three weeks ahead of the hearing date! This is actually a much better outcome than I expected and I was prepared to settle for a compromise (make some repairs or meet in the middle). So long as they don’t now make up some dodgy excuse to evict me, it’s all good.
Just goes to show, you should research your rights and stick up for yourself. As a full-time student living on a scholarship, I’m pretty relieved (and a little self-satisfied) by the outcome.
Thanks. Bear in mind it was actually $95 per week in 15 months. I got the $50 quashed though. Sydney is out of control. As I said, even at the upper rate I’d still be well below average rents. It’s tough feeling so vulnerable, so it was extra good to have a win!
Good for you!!! It’s glad to hear that one of these stories actually worked out nicely! I always sign a yearly lease, upon which the landlord ALWAYS jacks up the price by a few hundred dollars at the end of the lease, upon which I pack my bags and promptly move. I will continue to keep moving around as long as asshole landlords want to keep jacking up rates, hoping that I will find moving so inconvenient that I will pay the increased rate.
I know, from talking to some online friends, that AUD are quite a different currency than USD. Things there often sound hellishly expensive (especially given the exchange rate of 1 AUD = 1.027 USD), but the Australian minimum wage is currently $15.51 per hour. So making comparisons between us based on exchange rate alone isn’t particularly valid. I would tell the Aussies that I’m paying $600 a month for rent and they’re like “Damn, I wish our rent was that cheap!” But I’m making twice the minimum wage in America, which is *still *less than their minimum. You just can’t compare strict dollar amounts between the two.
Still, that’s great news OP. I wish we had free legal recourse for housing fee increases in the US like you guys have.
Yes, I totally agree that our wages are probably higher on average and we may have better social security nets too. I had to pay to lodge the application to the tribunal, but the mediation would have been free. I’ve been living in Berlin for the past year and a half, so I’m completely shocked by the cost of living coming back to Sydney. My problem is living on a scholarship. There’s not much room to move. The income versus cost of living is difficult to judge, but I do know we’re getting pretty high billing on all those “Most expensive cities” lists at the moment, some of which do look at the whole picture.
It’s been insane here - there’s been a couple of reports in the news about people’s rents almost doubling at the end of their current lease, but those are the most extreme. Usually it’s up $50 a month on each opportunity for an increase. I started out in summer 2007 at $674 a month and ended up at $850 in fall of 2009. At my new place, I got the dreaded letter and was afraid of an increase of $100 or more, but it was only $20 a month! Lucked out so much. My friend is looking for a new place, outlook is grim. We’re hovering around 1% vacancy right now.
As an inner westie here in Sydney, yeah, it’s expensive. It’s something like the 4th most expensive city in the world, and the vacancy rate for rentals is woefully low. If we were still renting it would suck a lot. The good news (kinda) is that the new tenancy laws about 100% favor the tenant, so if you complain you can get what youw want.
Wages are higher than in the US and taxes are marginally higher, but we have a lot of perks for living here. No GFC, for one, and universal health care.
I love my neighbourhood and would live nowhere else, but I don’t know how the uni kids around here manage to live (I’m quite close the the University of Sydney.)
That still sounds like a crazy increase, percentage-wise.
That being said, Australia is on my short list of countries I’d happily move to. But the rental situation, at least in Sydney, sounds all kinds of fucked up.
Not so much fucked up as too many people and not enough houses, particularly in the inner city (which is where the universities are). It’s cheaper and easier to rent out in the hinterlands, but who in the hell wants to live in Penrith? (Apologies to any 'Riff dwelling Dopers). Plus, if you go to uni you end up spending any savings in rent in train/bus fare back to school. And driving is very expensive.
Should clarify that rental here is quoted weekly and not monthly, although you generally pay fortnightly. Took me ages to get my head around that.
Hi Gleena. Nice to meet an inner-west Doper. I’m also an inner-westie but not as close to Sydney Uni as you - it’s even crazier around there. I would never say “people need to stop moving to Sydney” because I’m all for generous immigration laws and I moved here from Adelaide myself about 14 years ago. I do think people need to stop moving around so much though. My apartment block is owned by the one owner, so every time the other apartments turn over the rents there go up. People don’t seem to stay put for longer than a year. That means mine has remained the lowest and is now substantially less than the other, identical units. If you do go looking for a new rental there are massive line-ups of people. And the standard of housing offered for the price is often quite depressing.
I think Berlin really spoiled me, both in terms of the standard of housing (for relatively low rents) and the kinds of rights renters have there. You’re right that the laws have improved here for tenants though, so that’s something.