Landlords expose Australia’s worst tenants

Devastated landlords left with a damage bill worth tens of thousands of dollars have exposed their tenants for ‘vandalising’ their homes.

The tenant allegedly trashed the three-bedroom family home in Manoora, a suburb in Cairns, in Far North Queensland.

Footage from inside the home shows windows and doors have been smashed, rubbish and food scraps left on the floor, holes punched in the walls and a garbage bag filled with dirty nappies left behind.

Several televisions have been left broken and covered with crayons on the floor, while a graffitied carport in the front yard has been filled with junk.

Sharlyne and Stephen Smith told 7News they are ‘devastated’ by how their home has been disrespected and say the damage bill is in the tens of thousands.

‘I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, it’s absolutely disgraceful,’ Ms Smith said.

Sharlyne and Stephen Smith (pictured) are ‘devastated’ by how their home has been disrespected and say the damage bill is in the tens of thousands

‘It got to the stage where she was locking me out of the house, locking me out of the gate so I couldn’t get in.’

The landlords say the damage isn’t covered by their insurance and that they don’t have the money to repair the property.

‘Because she had to leave, she killed it, she vandalised it, and with no respect for anything I had done to help and support her,’ Ms Smith said. 

The distraught landlord is seen wiping away tears and shaking her head as she walks around her ruined property to assess the damage. 

Her husband says they don’t have the money to repair the property. 

‘It’s still your home, you own the home. If you’re renting the home, you don’t own that home but it should be respected,’ he said. 

Windows and doors have been smashed, rubbish and food scraps left on the floor, holes punched in the walls (pictured) and a garbage bag filled with dirty nappies left behind

‘Where am I going to get help for this? My insurance won’t cover it’. 

Real estate agents have said the destroyed property is a reminder to landlords to schedule regular inspections. 

Australia’s rental market is more competitive than ever with hopeful tenants spotted queuing by the hundreds across the nation’s capital cities.

On average, rents have soared 10.3 per cent in Australia since the start of 2022 with a low supply of housing and the reopening of borders contributing to the squeeze. 

The national rental vacancy rate is at a record low 0.9 per cent, according to Domain research data. 

Landlords and agents in some regions are now choosing applicants based on ‘rent-bidding’ where hopefuls offer cash or pay rent months ahead to secure a home.

Several televisions have been left broken and covered with crayon on the floor while a graffitied car port in the front yard has been filled with junk (pictured)

NSW Fair Trading advises that as long as property advertisers don’t make any misleading statements, like falsely claiming another applicant has offered a higher price, then they can accept a better bid.

With the on-the-side deals being made, rent prices have likely surged more than officials figure in some competitive markets like Sydney and Perth.

According to research firm PropTrack at the start of 2020, just 41.8 per cent of advertised rentals on realestate.com.au were under $400-a-week across Australia.

But by September this year that figure had dropped to just 19.3 per cent.