Ella Cas has documented damage to her interstate rental property. Pictures: Supplied/Instagram
A 26-year-old buyer’s agent who froze her tenants’ rent to “look after them” has been rewarded with a trashed home so filthy that tradies felt unsafe stepping inside.
Melbourne-based Ella Cas, of Mecca Property Group, has exposed the brutal reality of owning an interstate investment property after being stung with a repair bill of more than $50,000.
The young investor received an urgent email from her Queensland property manager advising that her long-term tenants should be served with a Notice to Leave.
Ms Cas was shocked by how high the quotes were, stating she was unfamiliar with Queensland pricing. Pictures: Supplied/Instagram
The quotes were several times higher than she had anticipated. Pictures: Supplied/Instagram
The situation reached boiling point when contractors called to the property to undertake electrical work raised concerns about the poor state of the property.
“We have had numerous tradesmen in attendance recently… and have just recently been provided with a video showing the very poor state of one of the bedrooms,” the property manager wrote in an email to Ms Cas, which she shared on social media.
“The room was to the point where the tradesmen noted they did not feel the property was safe or healthy for them to work in.”
A video report showed damage to carpets. Pictures: Supplied/Instagram
Mildew or mould were present in wet areas. Pictures: Supplied/Instagram
Taking to TikTok to document the ordeal, a visibly shocked Ms Cas told her 120k followers it was “crazy” conditions had deteriorated to the point of being a hazard.
“This is the same tenant I’ve had ever since I bought it,” she said.
“[I] never wanted to kick them out or try to get a higher rent. I just thought I would look after them.
“But if they’re not looking after the property and if they’re damaging it and if it’s in an unliveable condition, then clearly they’re not keeping it to a respectful condition.”
A subsequent video report from the property manager highlighted the extent of the damage.
Ms Cas detailed how the carpets were in such poor condition the tenants stopped using one of the bedrooms entirely because of how “gross” the flooring had become.
There was heavy mildew and “mould everywhere” across wet areas and laundry ceilings, which Ms Cas suspected was from exhaust fans being ignored and windows kept shut during showers.
Outside areas were also in poor condition. Pictures: Supplied/Instagram
Fencing would need to be replaced. Pictures: Supplied/Instagram
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Outside was no better. The yard was described as a “disaster” of overgrown gardens, broken fencing, and dumped rubbish scattered throughout.
Ms Cas initially bracing for a $10,000 to $20,000 operation to fix the property, but the repair quote was several times more.
She expected her property manager’s $30,000 estimate to be the worst-case scenario — instead, the bill came back at an eye-watering $50,655.
A screenshot showed the breakdown of costs. Pictures: Supplied/Instagram
While Ms Cas noted some of the quoted items felt like “a bit of a luxury” to add to a rental, such as $10,890 for three new air conditioning units and $1,980 for six fan lights, other expenses included $9,900 for internal prep and repainting, $7,150 for new carpets, $3,080 to rust treat and repair, $2,970 to potentially reface kitchen cupboards and drawers, $2,475 to pressure wash pavers, and $2,310 to replace a broken side gate and post.
Ms Cas declined to comment further when contacted on Wednesday, stating she did not wish her tenants to feel shamed by the incident.
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