Melbourne CEO Kyle Hunt has revealed the real estate agent experience that left him feeling “terrible” and shocked.
Hunt, 25, has a busy schedule running three companies and had recently been looking for a new rental.
The 25-year-old said it had been a struggle to find a nice place that was also close to his work.
So he was totally elated when he contacted a real estate agent to privately inspect a place that looked good.
Hunt said the agent seemed totally normal on the phone, but when he arrived to review the property, the vibes were immediately off.
“His demeanor completely changed when he saw me,” he shared in a TikTok video to his $159K followers.
TikTok / @kylehunt_
Hunt said the agent was acting a bit awkward, but the place he showed himself around was exactly what he wanted.
“I thought he was having a bad day. He didn’t show us any of the rooms” he told news.com.au.
“The place was nice and a really good for fit for me. It was really close to work.”
Hunt said the agent then asked him if he had a partner, which he thought was a bit random.
“I said ‘no’, and he said ‘oh’,” he explained.
The place was also meant to come fully furnished and when he started asking the agent what did and didn’t come with the property, the man reportedly claimed that “wasn’t his job”.
Hunt, who had gone to inspect the property with a friend, said they both laughed at the agent’s odd behavior.
He was prepared to overlook the agent’s stand-offish behavior though, because he really wanted the rental.
He asked the agent to text him a link to apply online and hopefully secure the property.
“Two days passed and I didn’t get a link to apply,” he said.
Hunt was so keen on the property he decided to call the agent’s office and express his interest again.
When the 25-year-old asked why he hadn’t heard from the agent the man’s response floored him.
“He said, ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have let you come and view it because of your age and you’re single’,” he said.
“He said ‘we wanted desirable candidates to view the place’. I was like ‘what the hell?’”
According to the Tenants Union, it is against the law to discriminate against renters because of their race, sexual orientation, gender, disability, marital status or age.
The Tenant’s Union outlines that it is unlawful for a landlord or real estate agent to discriminate against you when you apply for rental accommodation.
Discriminator could occur by refusing to take your application or placing lower on a list of applicants, or refusing to rent the premises to you for any of the reasons outlined above.
Hunt was in disbelief.
After hanging up with the agent, he called the office back and asked to speak to someone else.
He figured this agent had gone rogue and someone else at the business would want to help him.
“They said I was blacklisted,” he said.
“I was super nice. They said, ‘It’s because of your age and because you’re single, so we can’t offer you any of our properties’,” he claimed.
Hunt said he was told that the investors they deal with are after desirable candidates that are “older” and have families.
“Obviously I felt terrible. I reckon It took me three months to find a place that suited me personally,” he said.
Hunt said the behavior wasn’t “nice”, but thankfully, he found another agent shortly afterward and found an “amazing” apartment.
The 25-year-old chalked up the whole experience to being “cooked” and joked online that he never wanted to move again.
Hunt shared the story online and young people on TikTok were quick to share their opinions on the matter.
“Imagine if you had a dog! It gets even worse,” one warned.
“It felt like I was the dog,” Hunt replied.
“That is not on,” another remarked, and Hunt replied that he felt like he had been “stitched up hard”.
“The amount of times this has happened to me,” another complained.
“That is ridiculous,” one wrote.
“Rejection is redirection,” someone else said.
