A ‘dog-hating’ property manager’s passive-aggressive letter to an Australian tenant about his pets has caused a stir.
The Queensland couple turned to the internet for advice after brutal feedback from their property during a recent routine rental inspection.
In the letter shared this week to a private rental Facebook group, the manager said she was “very disappointed” to find the two dogs inside and noticed pet hair on the carpets, ordering them to be removed professionally cleaned.
The tenant indicates that this is the first time the issue has been raised during four rental inspections within 18 months.
They always kept the property tidy and said there was no disclaimer in the lease stating that their four-legged friends had to stay outside.
They turned to fellow renters online to get their input, pointing out that the letter makes no mention of any dog-related harm.
A property manager who ‘hates dogs’ and sent this letter (pictured) has been roasted online
“The dogs must always be outside,” the manager’s letter states.
‘I noticed dog hair on the carpets in the bedrooms and you will need to have them professionally cleaned and a pest control done for fleas.’
Indoor pets weren’t the only topic discussed.
“I have also noticed that some maintenance needs to be done to bring the property up to new standards and I will be making arrangements for myself and the owner to visit,” the property manager added.
She signed off with ‘kind regards.’
The letter led to divided reactions online.
“Imagine a property manager thinking he can tell you where your approved pets are allowed in your home. Class traitors,” tweeted a self-confessed real estate hater.
Some accused the property manager of being a “dog hater.”
“Either new norms, or she’s flexing her muscles because she doesn’t like dogs?” wrote one.
The tenant replied: ‘100 percent agree! She could have just let us know normally if we were in violation, but she was really disgusted with our dogs.”
The tenant turned to the internet for advice after being criticized for allowing the pets inside
Others offered advice on how tenants should respond.
“Best regards, Leaving pets outside in all weather is certainly mandatory animal cruelty and I will be raising the issue with the RSPCA authorities and the local council,” one woman wrote.
Another added: ‘I would legit respond with ‘go f*** yourself’.
But some felt the property manager may have had a valid point.
“Depends if you have applied and have written permission for indoor dogs,” one person wrote.
Another agreed: ‘If your dogs are on the rental property as an outside dog, you unfortunately have to vacuum it up.’
Changed tenancy laws in Queensland now make it harder for landlords to end leases or refuse tenants’ requests to have pets.
The tenants searched the Internet for advice on how to respond to the agent’s feedback
Reforms to the Housing Law Amendment Act rolled out a year ago were welcomed by tenants and tenant authorities alike, but angered property investors.
NSW is the only state where landlords can refuse to allow tenants to keep an animal without stating a reason and apply a blanket no-pets rule when offering rental properties.
‘If you are a renter, you need permission from your landlord to own a pet. Your landlord may refuse to allow you to have a pet. They don’t have to give a reason why.
The NSW Government is now under increasing pressure to make rental properties pet-friendly and in line with other states and territories, where rules have recently changed to make it easier for renters to keep pets.
Premier Chris Minns promised earlier this year to make rental laws much more pet-friendly if he were elected to power in the March state election.
The tenants were instructed by the manager to keep the dogs outside (stock image)