Baffled renter begs for help after discovering her LANDLORD is living in the garden shed
- A renter got an unexpected surprise when she moved into a Melbourne property
- Her landlord said he would be storing belongings in the shed for a few months
- But the woman discovered it was more than storage – he was living in the shed
- After confronting him, he agreed to pay her $300 a month if she let him to say
- He initially said needs 45 days but he now wants to stay for three months
A renter got more than she bargained for when she discovered her landlord was living in the garden shed of her newly leased property.
The woman took to Fairy Floss, a Facebook real estate group for metropolitan Melbourne, asking its 267,500 members for advice about the bizarre scenario.
She said her landlord had told her he would be storing some belongings in the shed, but it quickly became apparent that he was living there.
After confronting him, he offered to pay her $300 (AUD) a month if she allowed him to stay, insisting he would only be there for a maximum of 45 days.
But when the renter demanded her landlord sign a contract confirming he would leave the shed in 45 days, he changed his mind and said he needed to stay for three months.
A renter took to Fairy Floss, a Facebook real estate group for metropolitan Melbourne, asking its 267,500 members for advice after discovering her landlord was living in her garden shed
The woman said she was afraid to notify the real estate agency in case they cancelled the contract which would leave her homeless.
Her post, which has racked up more than 600 ‘likes’ less than 24 hours after it was uploaded, divided opinion, with some branding the situation ‘hilarious’ while others felt it was a tragic sign of hard times.
‘This month, I moved into a rental. The landlord said he would be leaving some of his stuff in the shed, but would be moving it all out in a few months,’ she wrote.
‘After moving in, I found out my landlord is secretly living in the shed. I confronted him and he said he’d pay me $300 a month if I let him stay. He said he’d only stay for 45 days.
‘I found out today after asking him to sign a contract saying he’d be out in 45 days that he’s actually wanting to stay for 3 months.
If I tell the real estate, the rental agreement would be void since he was breaking rules and he could kick me out. Do I have any other options here?’
Stunned responses quickly flooded in, with some wondering if the landlord could be playing a prank on a naïve renter.
‘It sounds like a plot from a movie!’ one woman wrote.
‘This has to be a joke,’ said a second, while a third added: ‘This is just weird.. How do you even know he’s the landlord? Dodgy as!’
A fourth called it the ‘most bonkers real estate story’ he has ever heard, while a fifth tagged their friend saying: ‘Why am I picturing the landlord as Danny De Vito?’
The woman said she was afraid to notify the real estate agency in case they cancelled the contract which would leave her homeless (stock image)
Others urged the woman to contact her real estate agent and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) first thing on Monday morning.
‘A landlord paying a tenant to stay in his property has to be a first,’ one man wrote.
A woman shared a similar experience with a former landlord.
‘This happened to me KIND of. But they turned the shed into an Airbnb and gave my address out online to strangers while I had a baby – safe to say I bailed!’ she wrote.
Many felt it was a sad sign of people falling on hard times during the pandemic.
‘This makes me sad,’ one woman said. ‘Just remember that Covid has put a lot of people out of work.
She added: ‘I’m sure he’s super embarrassed about the whole situation. I’m not saying what he is doing is right but just keep your compassion when addressing/dealing with the situation.’