An Australian real estate agent has sparked an absolute firestorm online after their truly bizarre demands over “leaf litter” during a routine inspection went viral, igniting debate about the increasingly absurd pressures on renters.
The NSW tenant, who wishes to remain anonymous, took to Reddit to expose the jaw-dropping inspection report.
The agent had flagged “leaf litter” in the entrance, front yard, and backyard as issues requiring urgent “rectification,” complete with photographic evidence.
The kicker? The tenant was then ordered to provide their own photo evidence of the clean-up to avoid a follow-up inspection.
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The email, under the heading “Entrance/Hall,” read: “As per the photo attached, please ensure to remove leaf litter. Please provide photo evidence of the rectifications to prevent a follow-up inspection.”
Identical instructions were issued for the front and backyards, alongside a demand to remove “overgrown greenery.”
A NSW tenant has expressed anger over being told to clean up leaves outside his home which were dragged in by the agent during an inspection. Source: Reddit / countyjester1300
But the tenant’s explosive revelation wasn’t just about the leaves; it was about the sheer audacity of the demand.
They explained the “leaf litter” was likely caused by the inspection itself.
“I just need to share this because I’m honestly blown away with how insane it is,” the tenant wrote, detailing how their townhouse’s location funnels wind and leaves directly to their front door.
“We don’t sweep this every day because it’s usually not a lot unless it’s super windy.”
The real estate agent, accompanied by the property’s two new owners and their children – a total of five people – had just walked through the front door.
“And you guessed it – bringing in bits of leaves,” the renter fumed.
“It’s just insane to me to use this as a ‘gotcha’ when that was freshly vacuumed and the five people entering the house caused the problem.”
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He shared a screenshot of his inspection report online. Source: Reddit / countyjester1300
The post exploded, quickly becoming a rallying cry for frustrated renters across the country.
Hundreds of Australians flooded the comments with their own horror stories of nit-picky, often humiliating, rental inspections.
One commenter perfectly encapsulated the widespread anger: “I’m almost certain that in most jurisdictions, the purpose of an inspection is to ensure the structural integrity of the property. It is not a ‘cleaning’ inspection.”
Another person commented: “Damn, in WA we get lightly told off for having hard water marks on the shower glass and dust on a skirting board.”
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The tenant explained they live in a townhouse at the back of a complex, meaning wind funnels leaves straight to their front door. Source: Reddit / countyjester1300
Another claimed they were forced to return to a property after moving out to remove “a singular piece of cat fur on the window screen”, while a fourth person could relate to the original post oh too well, stating: “Ah, leaf litter. I was called back for that once too. Along with dusty skirting boards.The house was scheduled for demolition a week later.”
This “leaf litter” saga has become a symbol of the power imbalance in Australia’s rental market.
Consumer advocates consistently argue that minor dust, weather-blown leaves, or everyday signs of living are not legitimate grounds to penalise tenants.
Yet, as competition for rentals intensifies, inspections are becoming increasingly stressful and adversarial.
For this tenant, the leaf demand was the final, infuriating straw.
“Thankfully we’ll be vacating next month, but this really got to me,” they wrote.
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