Lavish life of Denis Sinilov who gave tenants massive rent hike on ‘mouldy’ Sydney apartments

A landlord lives a luxurious life with his social media star wife while raising rents for dozens of tenants by up to 70 percent.

Denis Sinilov celebrated Christmas with a huge Christmas tree in the middle of his sprawling childhood home and regularly takes lavish vacations.

Photos show the property developer and his wife Svetlana Sinilova at one luxury resort in the Maldives and another at another beach paradise.

Ms. Sinilova, an influencer, famously vacationed at the $4,000-a-night Kokomo Private Island resort in Fiji in 2018, at the same time as PR queen Roxy Jacenko.

Meanwhile, tenants of a block of flats he owns in eastern Sydney’s Tamarama say they live with black mould, crumbling cupboards and poorly maintained facilities.

Mr Sinilov bought the property in Tamarama, Sydney’s east, on Oct. 21 for about $15 million and tenants claimed maintenance had declined sharply since then

Despite the conditions his tenants say they live in, Mr. Sinilov suddenly raises the rent on every unit in the Pacific View building.

One tenant said his rent had increased 65 percent from $670 a week to $1,100, another from $630 to $850, and still others from $630 to $1,100.

Nine tenants are challenging the rent increases at the NSW State Administrative Tribunal, claiming they are ‘unethical and unsustainable’, with the first case to be heard on Wednesday.

The cases will be heard against the building’s property manager, Cohen Farquharson, led by Luxury Listings star Simon Cohen.

Mr. Sinilov bought the property on Oct. 21 for about $15 million through his Infinity 10 company, and tenants have claimed maintenance has declined sharply since then.

Photos show the property developer and his wife Svetlana Sinilova (left) at a luxury resort in the Maldives, and Ms. Sinilova at a $4,000-a-night resort in Fiji (right)

Tenants’ rents have not increased in the four years leading up to the sudden increase, and with apartment rents rising 24 percent over the past year, it was expected to.

But they claimed the increases were unwarranted due to the condition of the units, which they say are plagued with black mold and in a poor state of repair.

Windows are leaking, cabinets are falling apart, paint is peeling and some tenants are reporting problems with their hot water.

Mr. Sinilov, who also owns commercial furnishing company Metric Interiors, applied last year to the council to radically redevelop the 650m² site, but later deferred the request.

Then the huge rent increase suddenly arrived in the mailboxes of his tenants.

Tenants can appeal rent increases that are not in line with the market, and the court will consider the age and condition of the property and some similar costs.

Nine tenants are challenging Mr Sinilov’s rent increases at the NSW State Administrative Tribunal, claiming they are ‘unethical and unsustainable’

Denis Sinilov celebrated Christmas with a huge Christmas tree in the middle of his sprawling childhood home and regularly takes lavish holidays

Mr. Sinilov could not be reached for comment and Cohen Farquharson has only provided a statement to the media.

“It is part of our role as rental agents to provide a rental market assessment to help our clients determine whether they are receiving rent that is consistent with current market conditions,” the company said.

‘Ultimately, the landlord determines which rent increases will be passed on to the tenant.

“Even in this rental market, big rent increases are atypical, so when you see them, it’s often because tenants haven’t received regular annual increases over an extended period of time.”