A Sydney renter has revealed the shocking moment they woke up to strangers inside their bedroom, undertaking a rental inspection they did not know was happening.
In a Reddit post, the tenant said they were sleeping in their bedroom when they were stirred awake by people opening blinds and turning lights on.
“Today I awoke to several people in my bedroom attending an inspection (opening blinds/turning on lights etc),” they said.
“The agent didn’t knock or announce their arrival. I sleep with my door closed so evidently, they hadn’t done a sweep of the apartment before letting people in to inspect.”
The tenant quickly realised an inspection was underway and later discovered the real estate agent had emailed notice at 1pm the previous day for a 10:40am inspection the following morning.
The renter said they had not seen the email and claimed the notice period fell short of the required 24 hours.
“It was quite a bizarre start to the day and feels like a bit of a violation of my rights to privacy,” they said.
They added they had been dealing with regular inspections over the past week and a half, usually with two days’ notice.
The post triggered fierce debate online, with many condemning the inspection as invasive.
“Less than a day’s notice, bloody illegal,” one person wrote.
“This borders on trespass,” another added.
One woman described the situation as “absolutely terrifying”.
“I’d be screaming at them to get the f*** out and I’d also be calling the police,” she wrote.
“They know it’s bad so they do bad,” another wrote.
Others urged the renter to formally complain to the agency and document the incident in writing.
“Be sure to get something in writing from them acknowledging this,” one commenter said.
Others defended the property manager, arguing the tenant had been properly notified.
“They’re just doing their job,” one person wrote.
“It’s your job as a renter to keep on top of those things. They did their duty to notify you.”
That prompted backlash from other commenters.
“Less than 24 hours’ notice? Letting people into a room where someone is sleeping?” one person responded.
“Money is not a substitute for humanity.”
Under NSW rules, landlords and agents can enter a rental property without the tenant present if the correct notice has been given.
Routine inspections generally require at least seven days’ written notice, while inspections for prospective tenants in the final 14 days of a lease require “reasonable notice,” according to the NSW government website.
Entry is usually restricted to between 8am and 8pm and cannot occur on Sundays or public holidays.