Sydney Tenant Who Couldn’t Pay Rent During COVID-19 Was Allegedly Held Hostage By Landlord

A Sydney man who could not afford his rent during the coronavirus lockdown was allegedly held hostage and threatened by his landlord until he transferred the full amount.

As reported by the ABC, the 24-year-old and a friend arrived at his Surry Hills rental on Wednesday afternoon to find the property owner and another man waiting for him.

The tenant told police he fell behind in rent after being financially affected by the COVID-19 lockdown, but said he had negotiated a payment plan with the property owner.

However, the owner and the other man allegedly threatened the renter and stopped him from leaving until he paid the full outstanding amount.

After transferring the money they were allowed to leave, and immediately went to the police.

Later that night police arrested the 56-year-old property owner, who spent the night in custody before appearing in court yesterday.

He was given conditional bail and will appear in court again in mid-August.

The 57-year-old friend was also arrested after presenting himself to police, and was charged yesterday. He was refused bail, and is due to appear in court today.

Renters Left Vulnerable By The Pandemic

Back in March the federal government announced a six month eviction moratorium on evictions, after concerns the economic crisis would lead to a spike in homelessness.

While that stopped vulnerable renters who’ve lost income due to the pandemic from being immediately turfed out, it left lots of uncertainty about what will happen when the moratorium runs out.

Tenants were encouraged to negotiate with their landlords for rent reductions — but many reported they were told they’d have to pay thousands in arrears, were threatened with evictions once the moratorium was over, or questioned over how much they spent on groceries and entertainment.

The eviction moratorium is set to expire at the end of September.

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Feature Image: Wikimedia Commons