With Marita I took some time off work this afternoon to watch my friends Tony and Rae* at their VCAT hearing, as their former agents (plonkers) and landlord (only the agent turned up) tried to claim some of their bond money for
(a) dents on a garage door that was part of a garage not even included on the lease
(b) scratches and marks on the front door
I’ve attended a VCAT hearing before, on behalf of my father. (Maybe it’s time to tell that story?) At the time I was impressed at how the chair of the Tribunal got straight to the point. No mucking about, and saw through all the bullshit.
Well it happened again. Claim (a) was thrown out offhand, since VCAT has no juristiction on damage to something not on the lease. The withering look and disbelief from Ms Tribunal Lady that the agent didn’t know this was very amusing to watch from the seats in the back row. I struggled to keep a straight face.
With claim (b) Tony asked that the damage be depreciated, since marks are bound to appear on a door over time due to wear and tear. The Tribunal was fine with that, and the net result was that of the $997 bond, $95 was awarded to the landlord, the rest to Tony and Rae. Since the agents no doubt charged a pretty penny to the landlord for even turning up at the hearing, you can bet that it was a lossmaking exercise for them, being so bloody-minded.
Ah, justice is good. And entertaining to watch.
*See what happens when four bloggers gather in one place? You get lots of accounts of the event.
6 replies on “For great justice!”
I noticed. *LOL* Awesome results though for them!
cool. thanks for the heads up. been waiting to see how that would turn out. just waded over there for a stickybeak
I am just a poor, low paid worker, but through a drunken moment, we bought a flat in East St Kilda as an investment for our old age. I think I need to change agents, as we suggested that we ought to retreive some bond money for damage, well above fair wear and tear from a previous tennant, but the agent was very reluctant and we received nothing. Guess we should change to someone else from Hocky Stupid. Do tell the story of your other appearance VCAT.
Some tenants are swine, but estate agents are always swine. As for landlords, well if you own more than you need you’ll always worry.
Congratulations. Sweet victory.
Entertaining to watch, hmmm. Uh oh, I can see it now. ” Tonight on Fox, its My Big Fat Obnoxious Real Estate Agent” Watch the latest hit reality show from the network that brought you Joe Millionare”.
Watch out for attacks from the: E.A.L.P.A.
(Estate Agent Lawyers and Pimps Association.)