Sydney mother renting house for four years despite multiple leaks is told the house will be sold

A mother of two faces the daunting prospect of looking for a new place to live after years of complaining that her rental property leaks when it rains, causing mold to grow on the walls and ceilings.

Sydney’s mother, Sophie, notified her real estate agent after being submerged ankle-deep in water seeping through window frames and damaging the roof after storms.

Sophie shared her experiences with the leaked rental on TikTok in a series of videos featuring screenshots of her conversations with her real estate agent between 2019 and 2022.

Despite the serious leaks, Sophie wants to stay in the house after living there for four years, raising two children and making it “home”.

However, in a recent update, Sophie revealed a message from the real estate agent notifying her that the issues would not be fixed and instead the property had been put up for sale.

“This is devastating for me and my children, as it would be for most people in this position,” Sophie told Daily Mail Australia.

The TikTok shows messages from Sophie to her real estate agent notifying them of major leaks in the living room flowing over the power points, causing “big puddles” to form and creating a safety hazard for her newborn .

In a screenshot, the agent responded with the response: “I think it’s best if you clean up as much water as possible, and also take out some buckets to catch the leaks.”

“There’s not much we can do until it stops raining,” the agent continues.

Sophie then revealed correspondence between her and the new agents in February, March and May 2022 telling them that little or nothing had been done to stop the leaks and that they had gotten worse.

“The only issue that was attempted to be rectified was the leaky roof in the living room and side hallway. Towards the end of last year, the owner approved $12,000 of repairs that were questionable, to say the least,” he said.

“The repairs redirected the water to the other end of the hallway and although the ceiling in the living room is no longer leaking or dripping, the side hallway continues to leak and this is now affecting my daughter’s bedroom.”

Sophie (pictured) was forced to clean up mold growing on her ceiling multiple times, while the real estate agent and landlord only tried to fix the leak once.

During that time period, Sophie had attempted to clean her ceiling of mold several times only to have it return “within days”.

He also notified them that the persistent leak had caused paint to peel off the living room walls and holes to appear in the ceiling.

“It is quite disappointing that the property is now nowhere near the condition it was in when I signed the lease and continues to deteriorate,” Sophie wrote in the May email.

‘My children and I have made this house our home and ideally I would like to stay in this property for as long as the owner is willing to rent it out.’

‘We love our home (despite all the problems) and our community. My children and I feel at home here,” he told Daily Mail Australia.

“That’s the hardest part of renting: there’s little sense of security and you become attached to a house, an area and a lifestyle. There is little tranquility.

Sophie posted the most recent exchange with the real estate agent in which she was informed that the owner had decided to sell the property, without fixing the leaks (pictured)

“For the first time, I feel that I will not be able to afford adequate accommodation close to my children’s schools and my work, family and community.”

Sophie’s concerns about limited rental opportunities are reflected in Sydney’s vacancy rates falling to 1.3 per cent in January, a level the city hasn’t seen since May 2011.

In the most recent exchange with the real estate agent on February 1, Sophie was informed that the owner had decided to sell the property and that the leaks had not yet been fixed.

It is unclear what will happen to Sophie and her two children who have been living in the rental for four years.

Sophie’s videos have received sympathetic feedback from other TikTok users.

“I was absolutely blown away by that final email that they had the audacity,” wrote one user.

“I wouldn’t leave the towels while they try to sell, let’s hope it rains,” another user commented.