Australia is caught in the throes of a housing crisis, with supply unable to keep up with insistent demand.

Perhaps it is this fact that encourages the entry of subpar units into the rental market, all in the hopes that people will be desperate enough to bite.

The latest rental incident to hit the news comes from a young woman known as ‘Elledalouise’ online, who recently moved into a rental home with her partner in Melbourne.

She was organising her spare room with her partner when they felt a ‘hole under the carpet,’ so they immediately contacted their real estate agent.

A hole in a Melbourne rental home's floor is just one of many issues in a woman's home. Video source: TikTok/@elledalouise

After six days, an investigation was conducted at the house, revealing a substantial hole in the floor, inadequately concealed by the carpet.

‘I can't believe they had a hole in the ground and just put carpet over it. I’m so glad no one’s leg went through it, she told Yahoo News Australia.

While the agency representative confirmed the presence of the hole, the couple is still awaiting a decision on how the matter will be addressed.

After sharing the video online, frustrated Aussies, fed up with renters being treated poorly, immediately began tagging well-known renters’ advocate and creator of Sh*tRentals.org, Jordie van den Berg.

Elledalouise has shared details, hopeful that somehow he will assist with her situation.

The hole represents just one of the issues Elledalouise and her partner have encountered with the house.

Living in the rental for around two and a half months, they stress the need to engage the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to prompt urgent repairs from the agency and landlord.

‘It hasn't met minimum standards since we moved in,’ she added.

Video source: TikTok/@elledalouise​

Since moving in, the couple has reported various issues, including poor ventilation in the kitchen and bathroom, laundry water seepage, mould due to water damage in the rumpus room, four weeks without heating or cooling, and a few days without power in the entire house.

Elledalouise found crushed building materials in the garden, prompting asbestos testing after the real estate mentioned asbestos sheeting in a recent renovation.

The tests came back negative.

Key Takeaways

• An Aussie renter found a large hole under the carpet in her Melbourne rental property.
• After sharing the discovery on social media, the tenant received support from other Australians disgusted with how renters are often treated.
• The tenant and her partner have been living in the rental for around two and a half months and have already had to go to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to force repairs.
• The tenant shared that there had been multiple issues with the property, including having to organise asbestos testing after discovering crushed building materials in the garden.

Members, what do you think of this story? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

 

[Wandiwa]

Yep unacceptable, However a bit of scrap laminex or flat tin over the hole would fix the problem, zero dollars and 10 minutes, problem solved.

 

[Yani]

The owner of this property would be in serious trouble if anyone attained an injury caused by the presence of this hole.
I hope they have good liability insurance.
Also, the rental market should not be dominated by private enterprise, as the rental providers are not renting out their property's because they are nice people.
The main reason for renting out a property is to make a profit and increase personal wealth.
I have no issues if someone wants to this but there should be a healthy choice of alternatives.
The need for safe, affordable and secure housing is a basic requirement for everyone. Why is it that in such a wealthy country there are people sleeping on the streets?
Any Government that is serious about increasing immigration should have an ongoing plan for the housing of the population who may not be in a position to purchase a property.
Until the mess is sorted out this inadequate situation will continue to prevail.

 

[Leeshia]

Not every thing is the landlords fault. They may not even know about the hole. Some renters are great but there are always those that damage the rentals and try to hide the damage. I'm not saying that this is the case but until the full story is told it is best to stay silent.