HT Wills Real Estate St George

DISAPPOINTING-BEWARE!!! – I rented a renovated upstairs flat in Kogarah, just down from St George Hospital through this real estate agency at the end of October 2021. Because it is an investment property that the landlord has been renting out for almost 30 years. At $410 per week for one year. He increased the rent by $50 per week to $460 per week in November 2022 when the… Read more

lease ran out.

Although I had a positive relationship with him and this agency, he gave me 3 months notice in March 2023 to vacate his flat as he wanted to rent it out at $600 per week and knew I wouldn't be able to pay that as a pensioner. I had planned to stay there with a flatmate but due to difficulties with an owner in the flat below, this wasn't possible. The unplanned move caused me a lot of stress and over $2000 to move.

Imagine my surprise when I recently checked it out on the net where my and the next tenants' rent was listed at $630 per week on Domain's website! An amount the landlord was trying to rent it out for after my departure and from what I understand, wasn't able to get. I did request the agency to correct it but note it hasn't been done. The bond we both paid will confirm this MISLEADING information to the ATO.

It is disappointing to see this respected agency NOT to act professionally and NOT being trustworthy and genuine. If they FALSELY represented my rental to get a higher one, this is probably NOT the only one.

I am writing this review to let future tenants know what they'll be signing up for in this property. Unfortunately, the property below has been owned for almost 20 years by an old lady with early onset of dementia who has been instrumental in many previous tenants leaving the building. Although this was made clear to me, I decided to rent the flat anyway. Knowing that I rented it alone and worked on the computer good 14 hours a day. Even though I agreed NOT to open the BIR during her nap time between 4-5pm so she could sleep, NOT to use the toilet during the night as 'the pipe noises' woke her up, NOT to open the balcony sliding door normally and a host of other things, she regularly reminded me of 'making noise'. All the while sitting on her balcony every morning and screaming loudly so half the street could hear her. Not to mention all times of the day and night screaming foul language into the intercom directly underneath my office and other units. I witnessed one of the tenants move out after 6 months, also because of being abused by this owner. Apparently she has behaved like this since she moved in and nobody managed to stop her. Neither from walking around common property in her nightgown that everyone else gets blamed for.

The landlord of the upstairs property I rented did make an effort to try and identify the bathroom noises she forever complains about. His investigation found NOTHING because they DO NOT physically exist. I did ask her politely to stop the balcony shouting as it interfered with my work. All hell broke loose after that which the landlord and body corporate refused to follow up. I called the police one Saturday when I was cleaning the flat at ca 4pm as I had been doing for the past 18 months. And she was banging on my door demanding I stop the noise and HAMMERING!!!!! Because she was going to call them!

The landlord and this agent are well aware of this owner's behaviour that they won't fully disclose to prospective tenants. Since neither of them will protect them from this owner, I'm documenting the problem here. If you are considering renting this property, you need to think about whether you WANT to pay $600+ per week to put up with these antics that the landlord will expect YOU to sort out! If you're already renting it and have problems, do contact the Tenancy Tribunal and lodge a complaint against the agent with the Department of Fair Trading. Or keep calling the police. NOBODY HAS THE RIGHT TO COLLECT THIS KIND OF RENT FOR THE PROBLEMS YOU'LL EXPERIENCE IN THIS PROPERTY!!!!!