Landlords expose Australia’s worst tenants

Devastated landlords left with tens of thousands of dollars in damage bills and exposed their tenants for “destroying” their homes.

The tenant allegedly vandalized the three-bedroom family home in Manoora, a suburb in Cairns, Far North Queensland.

Images from the inside show that windows and doors have been smashed, garbage and food left on the floor, holes have been punched in the walls and a garbage bag full of dirty diapers has been left behind.

Several televisions have been left broken and covered in crayons on the floor, while a graffiti-splattered carport in the front yard is littered with rubbish.

Sharlyne and Stephen Smith told 7News they are “devastated” by the way their home is not respected and say the damage bill is in the tens of thousands.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, it’s absolutely disgraceful,” said Ms Smith.

Sharlyne and Stephen Smith (pictured) are ‘devastated’ by how their home has been disrespected and say the damage bill is in the tens of thousands

“It got to the point where she locked me out of the house, locked me outside the gate so I couldn’t get in.”

The landlords say the damage is not covered by their insurance and they have no money to repair the property.

“Because she had to leave, she killed it, destroyed it and disrespected everything I had done to help and support her,” Ms Smith said.

The distraught landlord wipes away tears and shakes her head as she walks around her destroyed property to assess the damage.

Her husband says they have no money to repair the property.

“It’s still your house, you own the house. If you rent the house, you don’t own that house, but it should be respected,” he said.

Windows and doors have been smashed, rubbish and leftover food left on the floor, holes punched in the walls (pictured) and a garbage bag full of dirty diapers left behind

‘Where can I get help for this? My insurance won’t cover it.

Real estate agents have said the destroyed property is a reminder to landlords to schedule regular inspections.

Australia’s rental market is more competitive than ever, with hopeful renters queuing by the hundreds in the nation’s capitals.

On average, rents in Australia have risen 10.3 percent since the start of 2022, with low housing supply and the reopening of borders contributing to the tightness.

The national rental vacancy rate is at a record low of 0.9 percent, according to research data from Domein.

Landlords and realtors in some regions are now choosing applicants based on “rent bids,” with hopefuls offering money or paying rent months in advance to secure a home.

Several televisions have been left broken and covered in chalk on the floor, while a graffiti-splattered carport in the front yard has been filled with junk (pictured)

NSW Fair Trading advises that as long as property advertisers do not make misleading statements, such as falsely claiming that another applicant has offered a higher price, they can accept a better offer.

With the on-the-side deals being made, rents are likely to have risen more than the official figures in some competitive markets such as Sydney and Perth.

At the start of 2020, only 41.8 percent of rental properties advertised on realestate.com.au were less than $400 per week across Australia, according to research firm PropTrack.

But by September of this year, that figure had fallen to just 19.3 percent.