Melbourne landlord lifts lid on random selection criteria for tenants
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Australian Landlord Reveals Shocking Reasons Tenants Are Not Considered For Property After Applying
- Landlord revealed random vetting process for tenants
- Real estate experts said the criteria could be discriminatory
A landlord has revealed that real estate agents are using random selection criteria when deciding on the right tenant to rent an apartment.
The Melbourne-based landlord had hired a real estate agent to find a tenant for his property.
They revealed that 18 people had applied, but the real estate agent shortlisted only two.
A landlord has revealed that estate agents are using random selection criteria when deciding on the right tenant to rent an apartment (pictured potential tenants outside a rental property in Sydney)
The Melbourne-based landlord had hired a real estate agent to find a tenant for his property (file image)
The owner said he had no idea how the two tenants were chosen, saying it painted a “disturbing” picture of the unpredictable vetting process.
“That means 16 didn’t even get in front of us,” the owner wrote on Reddit.
“It’s very disturbing to me that tenants don’t even show up to prospective owners and that REAs have a lot of power.
“We chose one of the two without asking about the others: my SO (significant other) is not someone to push here, and it’s her apartment.
“I would have, but even then, we would have had 17 unlucky applicants.”
University of Sydney professor Laurence Troy said real estate agents considered many factors when deciding whether a tenant was suitable for a house or apartment.
Some of the factors were discriminatory and included things like race.
Pet ownership, family size and marital status were some of the details real estate agents also took into account.
“At least a few applications, probably the majority of them, will be removed based on whatever kind of metric the realtor has set up to determine if the tenant passes a certain threshold,” he said. news.com.au.
University of Sydney professor Laurence Troy said real estate agents considered many factors when deciding whether a tenant was suitable for a house or apartment (pictured potential tenants in Sydney)
Shelter NSW secretary Sophia Maalsen said single women were the favored choice as they were seen as “less risky”.
He added that single parents would have a hard time finding a place just like another group.
“Women who have been victims of domestic violence, which can be inferred due to difficult rental history, periods living in a shelter, or living at addresses where there have been domestic disputes, are also frequently turned away,” she said.
The Melbourne-based owner said he was curious what factors his real estate agent took into account.
“Maybe it’s more money, maybe it’s a brilliant personality,” they wrote.
‘Maybe it’s calling after an application to see what they can do in the future and so maybe they’ll be offered something else.
‘Good luck to all who seek! I really hope we find a solution to this problem fast and smart.’