Sydney tenant’s negotiations fall flat trying to reduce a $350 a week rent increase in Redfern

A woman who tried to negotiate with her real estate agent when her rent was raised by $350 a week received a cold response that the property could easily be rented again.

Chantelle Schmidt, a writer who lives in the southern Sydney suburb of Redfern, took to TikTok on Monday to reveal that her landlord had increased her rent by $700 a fortnight without notice.

The Sydneysider shared an update on the negotiations on Thursday, telling followers that their attempts to lower the price were unsuccessful.

Instead, the real estate agent warned her that the property could easily be re-leased because the market is so strong right now.

In the original video, Ms. Schmidt explained that the landlord was demanding a rent increase from $1,900 to $2,600 per fortnight.

Since I had a monthly lease, the landlord could increase the rent at any time without notice.

The updated video begins with Ms. Schmidt showing off her initial email response to the sudden news, telling her viewers, “Yes, I’ve tried to negotiate.”

‘I said (in the email), ‘just confirming that I wanted to raise the rent by a total of $700 per fortnight?’

“That’s a hefty and confronting amount for a three-bedroom home, which translates to over an additional $230 per bedroom,” Ms. Schmidt’s email reads.

“We would love to come up with a solution that reflects both the current market and the current financial pressure that inflation is putting on us, the renters,” he wrote.

“We hope this is negotiable and that you can review the offer.”

The writer then shared the real estate agent’s cool response to her attempted negotiation.

The real estate agent’s brutal response to Ms. Schmidt’s negotiations (pictured) was a warning that the property could easily be rented again.

“The real estate agent responded and said, I can try to negotiate with the owner, but what do you propose as a counter offer?”

“And then he said: keep in mind that the market is strong right now and we could get the amount increased if the property is re-advertised at this time,” Ms Schmidt read.

‘Feels like a warning, doesn’t it?’ she added.

He went on to explain that he had shared a listing for a similar three-bedroom property in the area, which was nicer and had an additional bathroom, for $300 less than the owner was asking.

“And then I said that given those differences, we think $2,100 for our property is fair per fortnight.”

The Redfern-based writer’s (pictured) story resonated with many other renters, with some asking if the realtor was just being greedy.

“This is still a hefty increase of $200 a fortnight, but please let me know if you have any other comparable options on the market,” her last email to the agent read.

Again, the agent was unhelpful with another cold response an hour later, pointing out that the landlord was harsh about not negotiating the increase.

“Rent has been cheap for quite some time and we are confident that we would be able to re-rent the property at the increased amount,” the agent wrote.

I’m sorry I can’t be the bearer of better news.

Captioned ‘Please give me more market humor’, the video gained traction with many viewers wondering if the owner was involved at all.

It has crossed the line to get out of control. wrote one viewer. ‘I wonder if the real estate companies keep some of the extra and use scare tactics to keep us paying.

‘Are you sure the landlord really knows the rent increase is happening or is it just the developer being greedy?’ asked another.

‘I work with real estate agencies every day and I tell you most of them are little snakes! Not all! But a considerable number are! This is so wrong! commented a third.

One viewer provided simple advice: ‘Time to get moving!’