Gympie real estate agent Karen Robinson’s slam on renters sparks ‘second class citizens’ fury as she tries to spruik a ritzy golf club development
Gympie estate agent Karen Robinson’s criticism of tenants sparks anger among ‘second class citizens’ as she tries to develop a posh golf club
An Australian real estate agent has been accused of labeling tenants as “second-class citizens” after promoting an exclusive residential development on a golf course to owner-occupiers while simultaneously firing tenants.
A video shared on Property Shop Australia’s TikTok page on Wednesday, which has since been deleted, shows real estate agent Karen Robinson describing the benefits of Royal Pines Estate in Gympie on Queensland’s south coast.
‘Tell me: would you prefer to live next to an owner-occupied home or on a street full of rental properties?’ Ms. Robinson asked in the deleted video.
“I know that if I spend $500,000 to $1 million on my house and land package, the last thing I want is to live on a street full of tenants.
‘The people who build here are owner-occupiers and we are very proud of that. That is why it is such a unique and prestigious estate.’
But the comment has sparked a furious response on social media, with outraged posters furious at her dismissal of rental tenants as “second-class citizens”, they claim.
Real estate agent Karen Robinson has been criticized online after a TikTok video appeared to suggest that a subdivision’s main selling point was that tenants would not be allowed in
Property Shop Australia is developing and marketing the Royal Pines Estate, which is adjacent to the Gympie Golf Course. Mrs. Robinson is also director of Hampton Home Builders located in the same office.
Ms Robinson said builders outside the city were buying up large tracts of land to build investment properties that would not be rented to “like-minded people”.
She added: “There aren’t many estates in Gympie.
“I took a drive around today and there wasn’t one that wasn’t filled to the brim with rental properties.”
The video caused a storm of protest on social media.
An angry local said it was ‘disgusting to call tenants second-class citizens’ The Gympie times.
“You couldn’t walk down the street and confidently say which is a rental property or which is an owner-occupier,” said another.
Another irate commenter accused Ms Robinson of snobbery, saying it appeared she was “putting tenants in a category she thinks she is way above.”
Many also took offense to the tone of the video, amid rising inflation, a cutthroat real estate market and more than a year of interest rate hikes that landlords are passing on to tenants.
Property Shop Australia is developing the Royal Pines Estate (left) adjacent to the Gympie Golf Course (right)
Ms Robinson said she drove around Gympie and Royal Pines was the only estate not ‘filled to the brim with rental properties’
As renters across the country find it increasingly difficult to break into the first housing market, there could be light at the end of the tunnel.
The federal government’s $10 billion housing investment fund was passed by Parliament this week after months of tense negotiations and opposition.
The Housing Australia Future Fund will build 30,000 social and affordable homes over five years.
It will use the interest from the $10 billion to go towards the homes, but at least $500 million will be spent every year as part of a deal with the Greens.
The small party initially opposed the fund but agreed to support it after securing a further $1 billion on top of the $2 billion already promised for social and affordable housing provision.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the fund would make a real difference to vulnerable Australians and described the bill as a major victory.
“Today is a victory for boosting housing supply… for improving housing affordability across the country,” he told parliament on Thursday.
While the Greens failed to secure a rent freeze and cap, leader Adam Bandt said the fight would continue as more housing legislation came before parliament and would extend into the next federal election campaign if necessary.
“At some point the government has to realize that tenants need some breathing space, that they need a rent freeze so that incomes can catch up with rising rents,” he said.
Opposition housing spokesman Michael Sukkar was still concerned that the fund would not deliver anything.
‘It’s not even a drop in the ocean. … This is 6,000 homes per year for five years… this government is bringing in 1.5 million new migrants,” he said.