Ok.... Rentals in perf appear to be at an all time premium.... Rents have risen significantly ....

I know four families who have been long term renters of local properties whose property owners have decided to put the house on the market.... Which is within their rights...

rental agreements allow for a fair increase in rent.

Unfortunately "fair" isnt necessarily in line with what is happening to rental prices in the area

Two of the families have been informed that the house has sold and been given notice, only for the sale to fall through after they have left and the house magically reappears on the rental market at an "unfair" increase.

The other two are waiting with a Damaclesian sword hanging over their heads


Is this evidence of dirty tricks in the rental market? Or am I paranoid?

It's horrific being a renter in Australia, many people regard you as some sort of lowlife because you don't own your own property.

Which is ridiculous.... There are so many people round here who rent because they cant afford to buy ... But then I do live in an area of lower socieconomic dempgraphics.... APART from... People who have been here many years..and families who have sacrificed a family member to the mines or Oil and Gas...

I honestly thinknthereshould be some kind of formal government investigation into rental agents and how there treat renters.... Its pretty shocking imho... And yes I know I'm biased due to my own experiences of renting here in WA... Buy honestly? You hear way too many horrah stories for it to be ignored...

Also the state of some of the houses to rent is pretty awful... They appear to rwnt these houses out to groups of late teens early twenties who possibly allow their desparate need for accommodation to outweigh health and safety issues that anyone else would be raising with their landlords...

We've been pretty lucky recently getting another rental, previous tenants were a nightmare but we came along with excellent references and the landlord decided he would keep the rent the same as last year and is just relieved that we won't trash the place. Not a bad outcome considering the recent jumps in weekly rents.

I don't think it is unreasonable for the landlord to get the going market rent. What's unfair about that?

Welcome to australia

I thank the good Lord above that I no longer have to rent.

There, at least for me, is a lack of civility in how people treat each other here. Yes they're fully entitled to get what they can but when they force a family out and screw them over to do it tends to lean towards the survival of the fittest mentality as opposed to a golden rule type of existence. Which what I see all too often here.

Indeed. This country has really declined over the past decade. It is all about greed and screw the punter for whatever they can get. Very sad. I'm speaking about WA in particular but guess it is not confined to this state.

It's certainly a very dog eat dog place, that's for sure.

They can only be given notice within the terms of the lease though can't they? e.g. if they have 7 (say) months left on a lease they can't be told they have to go with a months notice, even if house is sold surely they would be sitting tenants?

I rent. I couldn't give a toss if anyone thinks I am a lowlife because of it.

We have just been offered a two year lease at same rent, but we think we will take it one year at a time.

I have a feeling they can, I could be wrong but I've heard loads of stories about renters getting shafted by landlords.

Very much so. Nothing laid back or relaxed about WA these days. Just a place to work and spend elsewhere.

I rented two places here and I don't think they could force us out when they were selling but they sure cold harass us out. That's one thing about aussies, they're as friendly as hell but when you do something that's not to their advantage they turn real nasty.