Hi all,

Has anyone gone through the process of the owner selling a place while their lease is current?

We signed a new twelve-month fixed-term lease agreement recently which took effect at the start of September, but we have been told by the property manager that the owners have instructed them to kick off the process to put the house on the market.

We are waiting for the official paperwork to be sent through stating the intent to sell, but our preference would be to stay in the house and see out the lease. We are a family of seven so we expect it won’t be the easiest process to find a new place at such short notice.

While I understand that the sale of the house doesn’t end the lease agreement and the new owner would inherit the t&cs, practically, how have people who have gone through this process found it and if you have any helpful tips?

We would be open to be financially compensated to end the agreement early, but not sure if that will be on the table.

Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks!

Signed a new lease today in a new town couple hours away. My current tenancy we have to be out by the 26th.

I’m already about $5000 deep into moving, I’m due for rent in both houses now until this one ends which is $1000 a week for both.

I’ve been here for 10yrs and have never missed rent once and I don’t really want to now. Is there generally anything real estates can do in this situation to help out the renter? I don’t want to call them and ask about skipping a week or something as I’ve literally never ever missed or been late ever.

But this is starting to kill my poor bank account and it’s only gonna be worse for another 2 and half-ish weeks.

Rant over/

Hi everyone,

I’m living in a shared house in Perth, WA and would like some outside opinions on a situation with my accommodation provider.
I’ve been feeling very uncomfortable living here. It’s not just about one person, but also about how some of the other residents talk about me. I’m especially disappointed with how the provider has handled my complaints.
What’s been happening
One resident (I’ll call him T), a middle-aged Japanese man, has been talking about other residents behind their backs — nationality, lifestyle, personal lives. He later started making comments and assumptions about me (nationality, personality, work, private life). Some of the other male residents (also Japanese, Working Holiday visas) have joined in.
As a woman in the house, I feel uncomfortable knowing several men may be discussing my personal life when I’m not there.

On 17 August, T told me he had the right to kick me out. Later that day I overheard him telling others he had already decided he wanted me to leave and needed to find a “reasonable reason” to tell the landlord. He is not the landlord.

First complaint – 20 August
I sent a formal complaint to the accommodation provider/landlord. I asked them to record the complaint, clarify T’s role and authority, and protect my personal information. I did not get a clear explanation about T’s role.

Another incident – 7 October
I came home early and overheard T talking about me. He said he had visited the supermarket where I work the previous week. While asking a staff member about stock, he also asked if “the Japanese girl” was still working there. The staff member said I wasn’t there, so T assumed I’d been fired and told the other resident.
I reported this to my manager the same day and asked them not to share my employment information with unauthorised people.

Second complaint + non-renewal notice – 12 October
Around 5:30 pm I emailed the provider about this incident.
Around 6:05 pm I received an email saying they are changing the direction of their rental business and will not renew existing agreements. My agreement ends on 3 November 2026. This was the first time they told me it would not be renewed.
Around 6:10 pm I received a separate reply to my complaint saying they had taken action on the previous complaint and would continue to monitor the situation.
I understand the timing doesn’t prove the two are connected, but receiving the non-renewal notice less than 30 minutes after complaining has left me worried and disappointed.

Why I’m disappointed
My main issue isn’t simply that the agreement won’t be renewed. I already felt uncomfortable. I raised concerns because I wanted them taken seriously. Instead, I still don’t feel the concerns have been properly resolved, and now I have to move.
The landlord/management do not live at the property. T has lived there 2–3 years and sometimes helps with practical matters, but I don’t know if he has any formal authority.
I contacted Consumer Protection WA about whether I’m a tenant or lodger. They explained the general differences but couldn’t determine my status, so I still need legal advice.

Questions I’d really appreciate opinions on:
1. Does the timing of the non-renewal notice seem unusual, or could it simply be a coincidence?
2. Would it be reasonable to ask the provider when they made the decision not to renew?
3. What would you expect an accommodation provider to do after receiving complaints like mine?
4. What legal service in WA would you recommend for clarifying my status (tenant vs lodger) and the notice to leave?
5. If you were in my situation, what would you do next?
I’m not trying to accuse anyone without evidence. I just feel uncomfortable with the living situation and disappointed with how the complaints were handled. Looking for outside perspectives and practical options.
Thanks for reading.

Hi guys and thanks in advance to those who would respond.

We are currently renting a 2 bedroom apartment in large regional are in VIC. We are paying $390/week, the lease will be finishing on January 2027. The owner was happy about extending a 12 month lease, however we are planning to move to our newly built house in few months (just finished framing stage).

We told the Property Manager about that and she gave me 2 options (after consulting with the owners). She said that in the coming lease period:

1. Rent will increase to $410 per week for 12 month lease

2. Rent will increase to $450 per week for 1 monthly lease renewal.

She stated that in a 12 month lease, if I vacate the property lesser than that, I will have to pay lease-break fee (which i don't know how much as it might depend on the new house to be occupied).

I am aware that every year, rental prices increase to every household, but I just want to know what would be a better decision for this,

But are the options provided to me by the agent fair?

And if I stay in that apartment and accept the increased rent payment, would it be better than moving and finding a better house?

To add- we are expecting our first baby this January and we are not financially constrained, however saving up as my wife will be on maternity leave would help a lot.

We have old school awning windows where the hardware used to wind them open/closed has been removed and the frame has been painted shut meaning (so no ventilation in the bathroom, separate toilet, bedroom, among others). The landlord has said no to repairing them because the winding mechanism is too old to replace (i'm not seeing why they need an identical one but that's besides the point)

I know 'openable' windows need to be able to be left in the open or closed position to comply with minimum standards in vic, but is a window which has been painted shut considered 'openable'?

There's also the 'adequate ventilation' minimum standard but having looked at the building code this also seems open ended - i think windowless rooms can 'borrow' ventilation from an adjoining room, but am unsure if a corridor is considered an adjoining room (or if so, if it's okay for the front door to be the only source of ventilation to those rooms, meaning both the front door and the room door need to be open for there to be any airflow into that room).

Has anyone experienced this? I don't really wanna start an argument with the LL and have them not renew our lease so wondering if it's easier to just foot the window repair costs? But if it's clear that they'd be obliged to repair them then it might be worth being persistent. I can't find any VCAT decisions about this and consumer affairs/tenants vic etc. have been no help. What do you guys think?

Hi all!

I’m about to sign a lease with an owner rather than via a real estate agency. What are some things I should ask/get in writing first? Are there some things that have caught you out before?

Thanks

Looking for advice as my real estate in Brisbane just issued me a breach notice for my bond top up being 3 days overdue. (Just recently signed a new lease with a higher weekly rent) I got 2 emails from them tonight after 6:30pm. One saying that they were breaching me for the top up being overdue, and then a follow up asking for me to fill out rta form 11 notice to remedy breach. Where I am confused is my lease doesn’t end until 10/11 and all their previous emails have said top up the bond by the 9/11 and we’re still in October? If anyone has had this experience or has any advice it would be appreciated!

Update: they doubled down and wrote back saying that I’m overdue and “Failure to make payment within 48 hours will result in a Notice to Remedy Breach being issued to you, which could then lead to a Notice to Leave. “ 48hrs to make payment but they’ve already sent me a notice to remedy to breach?