Melbourne rent crisis: Mould concerns rife in ‘horrible’ market

Tenants are waiting months to have complaints about mould infestations addressed as some landlords refuse to adhere to minimum requirements in the hot rental market.

Saffron Moore, 28, moved into a Hawthorn East apartment on January 31 with her partner, and by February 3, they had already lodged their first complaint about the prolific mould.

Ms Moore said the leak in her apartment was so large “it was filling up bowls and buckets,” but it still took more than six weeks for someone to be sent to fix it, despite multiple complaints.

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“One day, I looked at the back of the blinds and it was just covered in mould … it was disgusting,” Ms Moore said.

“It‘s obviously a structural issue that they just don’t want to face and especially because six other apartments have had leaks.”

Ms Moore said it then took almost three months for her blind to be replaced, but there was still mould rife throughout the apartment.

“In our bathroom and on our back windows, there‘s been a massive collection of mould (grow) … that’s obviously not a reasonable way to live,” Ms Moore said.

“But now I‘m scared to go back to the real estate agency and complain again, because I just don’t want to give them any reason to kick us out.

“You don‘t really have a choice … it’s (a landlords) market, you have no say in the game.”

According to the Residential Tenancies Act 1997, rental providers have a legal duty to make sure their rental properties meet the basic minimum standards which includes ensuring the home is free from mould.

Mould infestations are also considered an urgent repair under the Act and must be fixed as soon as possible.

Peak body for the state’s renters Tenants Victoria released ‘The Mould Report: A Renter Snapshot” on Wednesday, highlighting 103 complaints they received about mould from June to September 2022, with more than two thirds of renters concerned for their health.

Tenants Victoria chief executive Jennifer Beveridge said mould was one of their top complaints.

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“Each winter, we deal with a surge of people contacting our frontline service seeking help from lawyers to resolve their mould problems … We are bracing for a new spike this winter.,” Ms Beveridge said.

“Mould is considered an ‘urgent repair’ under law, but renters often tell us they have difficulty in having the problem fixed when they go their landlords.”

Similarly, Harry Douglas, 25, reported a leak coming down from his upstairs bathroom into the kitchen of his Kew rental, which occurred every time he or his housemate had a shower.

Mr Douglas said when a handyman finally came, they opened up the roof to inspect the leak but left the ceiling open for “a good two weeks,” exposing them to the mould which had grown.

“(There’s) been a leak in our roof from the shower above for six months and they keep sending out a guy who has no idea how to fix it,” Mr Douglas said.

“There was mould growing in the walls, in the roof …. which is actually quite dangerous, especially around our food.

“There’s still currently a hole in our roof … it’s just a big fluff around.”

Mr Douglas said the landlord told him he wouldn’t raise the rent because of the leak, leaving him in a difficult position.

“(The rental market) is horrible at the moment. I’ve been looking for (new) places for probably two to three months and everything has gone up an extra $100,” Mr Douglas said.

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