Aussie landlords have admitted to discriminating against large families when choosing a tenant, as a family-of-six shares their struggles to secure a rental.
Gemma and Jeremy, who have four children under four and a dog, were rejected from all 12 rental properties they applied for after a mould infestation forced them out of their four-bedroom home in Geelong, southwest of Melbourne.
The mother-of-four was later shocked to find the homes she had been rejected from had remained empty for months after she had applied.
‘I understand that at the end of the day if [landlords] have the choice between multiple applicants, they are able to choose who they would prefer,’ she told Yahoo.
‘However, my main concern was that they weren’t accepting anyone. I never imagined people would build family-sized houses and then deny families a home.’
Gemma posted a TikTok video outlining her struggles to get a rental, in which she criticised landlords for being ‘so picky’ when it came to choosing a tenant.
However, the young mum didn’t receive much support, with many landlords defending their decision not to rent to big families with pets.
‘It’s not worth the risk, because of damage to the building like walls, floors and the backyard,’ one said.
Aussie landlords have admitted to discriminating against large families, revealing it was a reason they rejected rental applicants
‘You only pay four weeks bond and that’s not enough to cover damage.
‘I don’t know you, so it’s not worth the risk at all.’
‘Due to wear and tear, I’d personally prefer a professional couple,’ a second said.
‘I want to minimise the risk of damages to my house so I don’t have to spend my hard-earned money to fix “accidents” that happen,’ a third agreed.
‘My husband and I renovated for 15 months before renting out our property, so of course we were picky when deciding on a tenant,’ a fourth said.
‘It’s our pride and joy and something we have worked very hard on. It’s our home so we wouldn’t just let anyone live there and trash it.’
‘It’s a choice to have four kids and a dog and it’s also a choice a landlord can make to mitigate risks and choose the appropriate tenant for their asset,’ a fifth said.
‘I wouldn’t want four kids in my investment because in my mind that is a heck of a workload on the parents, so my property may not be kept in the condition I want purely because the parents are too busy,’ a further one wrote.
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Should landlords put their own fears about damage above families’ need for a place to live?
Pictured are queues at a rental inspection in Sydney’s eastern suburbs
Another reason landlords knocked back renters was pets, with a NSW Tenants Union report showing they accounted for nearly a quarter of rental discrimination cases.
Adam Flynn, who has worked in real estate for over 20 years, told Yahoo that property managers encouraged investors to pick the ‘easiest’ tenant.
‘It’s wrong and it’s discrimination,’ he said. ‘Each person should be decided upon based on their previous rental history and good references.’
He said renters had a better chance of securing a rental if they provided a strong cover letter and even attached photos of their family.
Gemma has since found a four-bedroom home for $460 a week.
