The tenant eventually reached an agreement to pay $500 (Rs26,370) to the landlord
An unavoidable part of renting a home is dealing with the landlords. However, landlords often impose strange conditions, demands and requests, leaving tenants scratching their heads. One such renter in Sydney was left bewildered after their landlord demanded them to pay $1,000 (Rs 52,743) for a small scratch on a wooden floor panel. The landlord claimed she had to replace all the floorboards due to the damage sustained.
The tenant, who goes by the username “BabyButtercup,” wrote on Reddit: “Would you like to ask if it sounds ridiculous to you that my landlord wants to charge $1,000 for a minimal scratch on a wood floor panel? Her plan is to remove and redo the entire floor because I unintentionally made a scratch on one panel, I repeat, a minimal, almost invisible scratch on one of the panels. Does that make sense to you?”
See the message here:
The landlord wants to charge $1000 for a scratch on a wood panel
byu/BabyButt3rcup in Australia
Many on Reddit called the landlord’s demand “ridiculous.” One user wrote: ‘If it’s careless damage, the renter may be willing to pay… but $1,000 seems excessive if it’s not a major scratch.’ Another commented: ‘Looks like she’s trying to use your money to finance a new floor. .” A third added: ‘She wants a new wooden floor and is using you to subsidize it. Tell her no and if she threatens to take it out of your security deposit, take her to your state’s rental court because it will likely be subject to fair wear and tear.”
The tenant and their partner said in a separate post that they would go to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) because they ‘didn’t agree’ to pay $1000. However, they eventually reached an agreement to pay $500 to pay the landlord and drop their NCAT case.
They also shared photos from the floor.
Update: The landlord wants to charge $1000 for a scratch on a wood plank flooring panel
byu/BabyButt3rcup in Australia
”Initially I didn’t want to pay $500 and insisted on going for NCAT and my partner agreed but after two days he asked me if we could close the case and just pay them $500 as he didn’t have his time wants to waste looking for a case. the NCAT. I was upset because I wanted to fight but he didn’t, and it makes sense that it wasn’t worth anyone’s time. We decided to close the case with the agents and paid $500.
You can look at the pictures and let me know if the scratch is worth $500 because to me it isn’t. I also found out that the building has already been rented out again, so does the owner want to lay the floor while new tenants are staying? Each of these makes no sense whatsoever. They even had the nerve to complain that the blind people said they weren’t following properly, which wasn’t even true. I hope she puts that $500 to good use because if I wasn’t with my partner, I would have gone to court,” the tenant wrote.
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