A landlord has sparked a heated dispute with a tenant after threatening to change the locks when she refused to vacate the property so his sister could move in.
Demi was shocked to receive a string of brutal text messages from the property owner, whom she considered a ‘mate’ – until he tried to evict her with little notice.
‘You need to leave,’ the landlord’s angry text read.
Confused, Demi replied: ‘What? Leave where?’
The landlord bluntly responded: ‘The house. By the end of the month. My sister is moving back from abroad. She needs somewhere and this is it.’
The renter couldn’t wrap her head around his demand, saying: ‘Why have you got to put her here? I don’t understand!!’
Refusing to back down, he replied: ‘Don’t make this harder than it has to be. My sister needs a house, end of story.’
However, Demi explained that he couldn’t evict her as she was only halfway through the tenancy agreement she had signed.
A landlord has sparked a heated dispute with a tenant after demanding she vacate the property so his sister can move in
‘You know you can’t do this to me, right? We’ve got a contract that we’re only halfway through,’ she explained, to which he responded: ‘Yeah, so what?’
‘So legally you can’t evict me like this, you have to serve notice, go through proper channels,’ she continued.
But he replied: ‘I don’t need lectures on the law, Demi, at the end of the day it’s my property and I make the rules.’
Stunned by his response, she responded: ‘So you’d rather throw me out on the street than find your sister another place? Didn’t you say you have other properties? Why can’t she go to one of those?’
Despite trying to find a solution, the landlord said: ‘Demi it’s none of your business why not. You’re out!’
The woman expressed disbelief at his behaviour, especially since she had believed they were good friends.
‘Do you even hear yourself? We’re mates! This is my home,’ she replied.
Demi tried to reason with him, hoping he’d reconsider the eviction. However, the property owner wasn’t having a bar of it.
Demi was shocked to receive a string of brutal text messages from the property owner, whom she considered a ‘mate’ – until he tried to evict her with little notice
‘Like I said. End of the month. Pack your things,’ he demanded.
Demi disagreed, saying: ‘No way, sorry, not happening. I’m taking this higher.’
Unfazed, the landlord replied: ‘Do whatever you like. By the time that goes anywhere, you’ll already be gone.’
Demi then asked what would happen if she refused to leave, to which he responded: ‘Then I’ll change the locks.’
It’s unclear what happened next between the landlord and tenant – but their shocking text messages were re-shared by British property strategist Jack Rooke.
‘Demi has got everything she needs to absolutely nail this guy to the wall… That’s not how you handle an eviction in any respect. She is protected by her contract,’ he said.
In Australia, the notice period to evict a tenant depends on the reason for eviction. According to the NSW Government, tenants must be given at least 14 days’ notice for a breach of agreement and up to three months’ notice for non-breach reasons.
Demi tried to reason with him, hoping he’d reconsider the eviction. However, the property owner wasn’t having a bar of it (stock image)
Jack’s video has been viewed more than 32,800 times – with many defending the tenant because she’s actually ‘protected by law’.
‘And she is perfectly within her rights to call a Locksmith or break the door down and sue the landlord for breach of contract,’ one suggested.
‘You can absolutely go to court for an illegal eviction,’ another shared.
While some shared their own experiences after their tenancy ended early.
‘I had a landlord who wanted to move back in with six months left on tenancy. We came to a mutual agreement that they would cover moving costs, agency fees and a small amount to cover other costs and we agreed to mutually end the tenancy early. It’s all about how both landlord and tenant approach this situation,’ one man said.
Meanwhile, others pointed out that you could never truly be friends with a landlord.
‘No such thing as landlord and tenants being mates, you are just cash to a landlord,’ one person said in a brutally honest comment.
