Brisbane renter covers wall with post-its as tenants are shown through: Johnathan Sriranganathan

A renter has come up with an interesting way to air their grievances after leaving ‘notes to self’ stuck up on a wall while new tenants were being shown through. 

A picture of the post-it notes from the Brisbane property – which detail several potential flaws with the home – were shared this week by Greens councillor Johnathan Sriranganathan. 

The picture sparked a debate as to whether the renter was sticking up for their rights or being petty amid a growing housing crisis in the country sparked by soaring interest rates and insufficient supply. 

Firebrand Brisbane Greens Councillor Johnathan Sriranganathan has been vocal about the rights of tenants amid an increasingly tough rental market

‘If you’re moving out of a rental and your landlord/agent is showing the property to new prospective tenants, consider leaving some notes or posters like this in a few prominent locations around the home,’ Mr Sriranganathan wrote.

‘Legally, an agent or landlord shouldn’t be touching or interfering with them in any way,’ he added.

The notes claim the property has ‘re-occuring’ mould in the bathroom, main room and loungeroom, along with dust and noise from a nearby construction site and train, and to top it off, a rat problem. 

The renter also wrote that the landlord put the rent up by $75 a week six months ago and that rent increases were ‘non-negotiable’.

Mr Sriranganathan added that the notes were from a Brisbane renter and weren’t his own. ‘I live on a houseboat,’ he added.

He said that he was all for the note campaign and suggested there should even be a public register where tenants could list property defects that prospective renters could search.

‘Too often, landlords and agents fail to disclose serious property maintenance and amenity issues when a lease is signed,’ he said.

‘Of course the real estate lobby doesn’t like it, but even they have to acknowledge that there are no rules against this, and nor should there be.’

A flood of comments appeared under his post.

‘Brilliant idea. Love this,’ one person wrote.

‘If you don’t like the rental property just move on,’ another argued.

‘Some agents would deduct the cost of professionally cleaning this from you bond,’ a third said.

‘In our previous rental the landlord just painted over the mould all through the house, these landlords need to be outed, this is Australia,’ a fourth said. 

Mr Sriranganathan is attempting to organise strikes in Brisbane next month to combat the tough conditions for renters.

He said such strikes could take the form of a large group of tenants deliberately paying rent late, not the full amount, or not at all.