How a tenant reduced his monthly rent by $1710 with one email during the COVID-19 pandemic – and his advice to anyone else looking to do the same
- Kiran de Silva pays $865 per month for a room he shares with his girlfriend
- The total rent for the house in Sydney, which is also shared with others, is $3,910
- When he lost his dream job at a music ticketing agent, he couldn't afford to pay
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Kiran de Silva pays $865 per month for a room he shares with his girlfriend
A tenant who lost his dream job because of the COVID-19 pandemic managed to cut his monthly rent by $1,710 with one email.
Kiran de Silva pays $865 per month for a room he shares with his girlfriend in Camperdown in Sydney's inner west.
The total rent for the household, which the couple share with others, is $3,910.
When Mr de Silva lost his job at music ticketing agent Dice and one of his housemates was stood down, he knew he had to ask for a rent reduction.
'To be completely transparent, we just simply won't be able to afford to pay rent at the current rate for the foreseeable future,' he wrote in an email to his real estate agent, ABC reported.
'[The agent] wrote straight back and said 'don't stress, a lot of tenants are in a similar position'.
As a result, rent was reduced by $1,710 to $2,200 for three months - a discount of 44 per cent.
When Mr de Silva (centre) lost his job at music ticketing agent Dice and one of his housemates was stood down, he knew he had to ask for a rent reduction
Mr de Silva's advice to others was to be direct and transparent with agents and landlords, without being rude or pushy.
More than 400 people have contacted him since he shared his success online.
About 50 people said they managed to get a rental discount using his letter.
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Lisa Pennell from Ray White Real Estate told the publication landlords are also struggling in the face of the pandemic.
She said compassion and empathy is needed from both sides to reach an agreement.
Meanwhile, some landlords in Sydney - known for its exorbitant rental prices - are offering a month's free rent to lure in tenants after many renters left the market due to the pandemic.
Landlords are offering massively reduced rent across Sydney due to the coronavirus crisis. Pictured: Listing for Paddington
The exodus has sparked a 300 per cent rise in vacant rental listings in the past month in some areas of the city, according to date from realestate.com.au.
Last week, a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house with a car port in Sydney's eastern suburbs offered a weekly discount of $675.
A three-bed house in Bondi Junction in the city's east was reduced from $1,300 to $1,000-a-week - a $7,800 saving over the six month period.
Consumer researcher Graham Cooke, from Finder.com.au, said the pandemic is creating a 'tenant's market' in major cities.
He said rents expected to drop by up to 10 to 20 per cent.
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