In news that will surprise absolutely nobody, Victorian landlords have responded to a proposed increase in minimum standards in rentals by having a big loud whinge. However, in actually surprising news, some landlords have threatened to sell their homes as a result of the proposed laws.
Noooooo, please don’t sell all of the investment properties you are hoarding! That’s totally not what everyone wants.
Last week a new proposal was made by the Victorian Government to increase the minimum heating and cooling standards of all rental properties in the state. These “quality of life” improvements for renters have been taken as a personal attack by landlords, with some threatening a “mass exodus” if the proposal passes.
In response to the potential protest sale (???) of landlord’s hoarded properties, the Messiah of the rental crisis Jordan van den Berg had one message for property owners:
“Sell the fucking investment property then, don’t threaten us with a good time,” Jordan told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
If passed in its current form the new standards would see every landlord forced to install air conditioning in their rentals. Other changes include the mandatory upgrade of certain appliances to meet a four-star energy rating, and the enforced installation of drought proofing on doors and ceiling insulation.
The proposal was made so that it would improve the quality of life for renters, in that they would be able to live a bit more comfortably and save money on their power bills.
Though it would cost a property owner about $5K per home to make all the upgrades, the government has clarified that it the trigger for compliance does not kick in until October 30, 2025, meaning landlords would have a year to make the small changes.
Now get a load of this: Apparently, the Victorian landlords aren’t too happy about the fact that tenants shouldn’t have to live in freezing cold shit-holes, while also paying out the wazoo in rent for that privilege. Colour me surprised.
Landlords threaten to sell investment properties in retaliation
In a report by news.com.au, some landlords and property owners have taken to their highly secretive landlord Facebook groups to have a big ole’ whinge about the proposed laws.
Which is funny, because if renters do that then we are called “entitled whingers” by the landlords. Apparently you don’t need to own self-awareness to buy a house — you just need to be born when houses cost a couple grand instead of a couple million.
As per the publication, some landlords had the audacity to comment that if the government’s proposal passes then “renters will soon have better homes than some owner properties!”
I won’t dispute this possibility, because sure, some property owners might not have air conditioning in their own homes but will be forced to install it in their rentals. But if we only look at the world through the lens of “some”, then reality becomes too easily distorted.
Additionally, the point was made that any landlord who cannot afford to pay an extra $5K over a year, probably isn’t in the position to afford an investment property and should consider selling anyway.
Others in the Facebook groups also slammed the Victorian Government’s proposal as “another blow for landlords.”
To which I ask: ANOTHER???
WHAT WAS THE PREVIOUS BLOW? NOT BEING ABLE TO REFUSE PETS IN RENTALS FOR NO REASON? NOT BEING ABLE TO INCREASE RENT TWICE IN 12 MONTHS?
Where the entitled whingers made their best point though, was when some of them suggested that they would retaliate to the proposed reforms by simply selling their properties.
“I reckon a mass exodus by landlords from the rental market. They are making a serious rental problem even worse. Timing is appalling,” wrote one landlord, per the publication.
“Keep raising the costs to maintain rental properties and I can tell you myself and many more landlords will simply sell,” echoed another.
Let me take a deep breath real quick…
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
OMG landlords, please please PLEASE do NOT sell your houses! That is absolutely the last thing we need!!!
What on earth are they thinking??? What a dastardly devious plan to protest the government these landlords have concocted. Obviously all my previous slander of their intelligence was misplaced, as it clearly takes a lot of mental ability to be a landlord.
Imagine the horror that could unfold if all the people hoarding multiple homes in Victoria suddenly sold every single property they owned but one, and everybody in the state only possessed the property they lived in.
Oh wait, I’ve already been imagining it. Whoops, silly me.
Anyway, landlord brain rot needs to be studied by scientists.
If you’re a landlord pissed off by this proposal, please feel free to sell me your home in retaliation. It would really teach me a lesson.
And as Purple Pingers said, don’t threaten us with a good time.
