A real estate agent has sparked backlash for suggesting rental applicants who are struggling to get a property should dress better at inspections to boost their chances of being approved.
Amir Jahan, 25, who recently opened his own agency A-Class Estate Agents in Parramatta, western Sydney, posted his thoughts to TikTok on July 6.
The agent, who is known for his outlandish and creative marketing videos, said he had been asked for tips by a woman who had unsuccessfully applied for 50 rentals.
In his video, Mr Jahan said the would-be tenant could not understand why she was getting so many knock-backs.
‘She said, “I applied for 50 properties and I still haven’t got it approved. Why do you think I’m not getting approved? What’s going on”,’ he said.
‘I had a quick look at her application online and I didn’t see anything wrong.
‘But I said “look, when you go to the inspection, I’ve seen this a lot of times, I’ve seen people come into the inspection it feels like they just walked out of bed.’
Mr Jahan explained he could be faced with two applications of equal value, but recalls one of them had been dressed ‘nice’ at the inspection while the other did not.
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‘Which one are we going ahead with?’ he asked rhetorically.
Some prospective renters were infuriated by what they regarded as superficial standards.
‘What a joke .. so now people are judged on what they wear,’ one wrote.
‘Let me tell you the ones dressed and wearing designer clothes are the ones who are trying to impress on credit cards and debt.’
‘Where do real-estate agents get off …. honestly, the nerve,’ another said.
A third sarcastically added: ‘Dress up like you’re going to a wedding.’
Others empathised with the woman who went to Mr Jahan for advice.
‘My dad had applied for 40 houses in Dubbo – still nothing. He’s living in his car for 9 weeks,’ one wrote.
Mr Jahan told Daily Mail Australia he was not trying to impose standards on anyone but genuinely trying to help prospective tenants boost their chances.
‘I’ve got a lot of negative comments but when I made the video it was because I had been asked for tips and I just wanted to help,’ he said.
‘My intention wasn’t to offend anyone, I just wanted people who have been unsuccessful to be aware that you need to represent yourself nicely.
‘Because you are trying to rent someone’s asset, you have to show you are going to look after it.
‘I know people work hard these days, some seven days a week, especially in Sydney, but just spend that extra five or 10 minutes to present yourself properly.’
The agent, who has four years of experience in property management, clarified it wasn’t how he would necessarily judge a prospective tenant, but wanted to let people know many other agents might base their opinion on appearance.
‘These days, people’s brains are in their eyes,’ he said.
Mr Jahan wants renters to know that applying for a property is like going to a job interview.
‘For a job interview, you put on your best clothes, perfume and present yourself properly,’ he said.
‘But when people want to rent out someone’s asset, they don’t try.’
The 25-year-old said he gets between 30 to 50 people attending his property inspections, so in order to compete, appearance can be a factor in deciding who is most likely to keep up payments and look after the home.
‘I know people don’t have a lot of time but dress nicely and speak nicely,’ he said.
‘If there are two applications that are the same and one speaks nicely and dressed well but the other is in a cranky mood and not dressed well, some agents will go with the nicer person.’
Mr Jahan clarified that may not be fair, but said repeatedly-rejected tenants should be aware that could be a reason why their applications were unsuccessful.
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