A QLD Real Estate Agency Offered Tenants The Chance To Buy Their Landlord A Christmas Present
"The poor wittle wandwords need a Christmas treatie".
A Queensland real estate agency has been dragged for offering tenants the opportunity to buy their landlords a Christmas present.
Kanik & Co. near Brisbane sent out an email this month offering to arrange and deliver opt-in gratitude gifts at an additional cost to rent. “This year has been particularly challenging for both our tenants and property owners alike, and we understand some tenants would like to thank their property owner for everything in 2021,” they wrote.
A little biscotti for the urgent repairs never completed, a little nougat for the days without hot water, a little soy candle for the rent increases 🥰🥰🥰 https://t.co/rNwOhJBmNO
— Gina Rushton (@ginarush) December 12, 2021
The agency shared links of gestures tenants could arrange to buy to be sent alongside a handwritten note of gratitude. A $50 white wine grazing box, $55 festive sweets basket, and hampers ranging from $70-$115 include a self-care pamper option were all on offer.
“Landlords have seen their passive incomes increase at your expense this year,” said Sinéad Canning on Twitter, having originally seen the email screenshot on a renters Facebook group. “The time has come to lick their boots harder.”
The city of Logan, where Kanik operates, experienced a 4.1 percent weekly rental increase between March 2020 and 2021, according a joint report by Deloitte and the state government’s Department of Housing. A Logan housing study last year also found that the city has a higher proportion of households experiencing rental stress compared to wider South East Queensland.
Meanwhile, Domain is projecting that competition for properties will rise amid a shrinking rental vacancy rate, and rent is also set to increase across the country — so there is much to be thankful for.
The poor wittle wandwords need a Christmas treatie.
— a Christmas mum 🎄 (@ellybaxterpr) December 12, 2021
Director of Kanik & Co. Michael Kanik told Junkee the email was sent out after receiving expressions of interest from both tenants wanting to purchase their landlords small gifts or Christmas cards, and vice versa. He added that it was “completely optional for people to participate”.
“I know it might seem strange to some, for a tenant ‘thanking’ their landlord, although each tenant and landlord are unique, we have had landlords install air conditioning for tenants with no rent increase, no rent increases for lease renewals for tenants, just as examples,” he said. “My initial hesitancy was that it may be taken in the wrong way, and it obviously has for one of our tenants that have posted the email. It’s quite upsetting as the intention was purely to help facilitate, either a tenant or landlord to purchase a small gift.”