My son with Autism
I was looking for a rental property for my son who needed somewhere close to us that was safe, affordable, and had a property management team that looked after their tenants. He has Autism, ADHD, Anxiety and a tic disorder. I shared this with the property manager from the beginning.
I was assured that standards were high and we had emails advising us of the rules and regulations of living at the property. The accomodation was expensive at $380 per week.
After the first few weeks another tenant started to demonstrate concerning behaviours. Not abiding by tenancy rules, having visitors over late, drinking excessively and taking illicit substances. Management were made aware of this before their offices closed for Christmas, however there was no acknowledgement. My son spent a lot of time at home because he did not feel safe, we tried to encourage him to return and he did between Christmas and New Year. On the 31st December he called us from his room terrified due to someone shouting, swearing, and being aggressive. Police attended and had to physically restrain this tenant who threatened to kill our son. He never returned to the property. The tenant was evicted 2 days later.
This event has had a massive impact on my son's mental well being. The tenancy agreement had clearly been breached by them as far as I was concerned. I was told that they would speak to the property owner and given the circumstances they should be able to waive the rent....well, this did not happen, in fact they sent numerous messages saying he was in arrears.
Our son had to pay $380 a week for 4 weeks when he was not there and $149 for his room (which we cleaned thoroughly) to be professionally cleaned.
Even though they were aware of what he had been through and was on a disability pension they threatened him with action if he did not pay.
Not only has this been a terrible experience for my son, it has also affected his ability to live independently.
Our good nature was ignored and all that was important was that the property owner received their money.
December 31, 2024
Unprompted review