Faizan & Emma's story
Although there is officially no reason for why they were asked to leave, Faizan and Emma know exactly why they are being evicted - they pursued repairs for the ever-deteriorating water damage in their living room.
Faizan and his partner Emma had lived in a unit in Ryde with their three cats and pet fish for approximately 14 months when they were issued with a ‘no grounds’ eviction notice. From the beginning, the apartment had visible water damage on the floorboards but over time, and with the heavy rains of the 2022 La Nina summer, the condition of the floor deteriorated further. The floor around the leak and near the balcony door frame began to warp, leading to some of the boards rising and creating a sharp trip hazard. Still, Faizan’s calls to the real estate agent for repairs went unanswered.
After an incident that left him with a serious foot injury sustained from walking barefoot on the floor of his apartment, Faizan decided to call the real estate agent and demand the floor be attended to. A tradesperson was sent out to fix the issue. The repairs made included only superficial trimming of the raised floorboard and taping it down. The source of the issue, however, remained unaddressed.
The winter weather and more rain added to the damage and created perfect conditions for mould to spread. As a result, Fazian and Emma no longer felt comfortable walking barefoot in their home. They also stopped inviting friends over, embarrassed by the look of the blackened sticky floor in their flat.
After enduring these conditions and a lack of support from their landlord and real estate agent during this time, Faizan and Emma received a notice of an increase in rent from $850 to $920 a week. Their response was to accept the increase under the condition that the requested repairs finally be done.
When no work was carried out, Faizan filed a complaint with the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal. A week later, the couple received a no grounds eviction notice.
Further negotiations and pleading with the real estate and strata have not been fruitful - Faizan and Emma are being forced to leave their home despite not yet having secured a new rental.
Read about Faizan and Emma's experience in a Realestate.com.au article.
