Landlord’s snap of tenancy welcome pack cleans up on social media

Australian landlord’s collection of gifts to new tenant goes global on Facebook after it divides opinion what ‘passive aggressive’ means in the private rented sector.

Do you thoughtfully provide soap and loo roll for weary new tenants moving into your property? Maybe you leave out wine or a box of chocolates to welcome them after a busy day moving house?

But a basket of cleaning products? A dirty trick, according to social media users who slammed one landlord for providing a washing basket, bleach, cleaning products, sponges and toilet paper – as well as a packet of chocolate biscuits – with the note: ‘A housewarming gift for a new tenant, to help keep our renovated unit in good order’. 

While some posted about the Australian landlord’s generous gesture, others labelled it a passive-aggressive ploy. Wrote one outraged social media user: “Yeah, now every time they clean they are going to feel your presumptuous judgment of their cleanliness. I’d chuck it all out so it didn’t p*** me off.”

Perhaps these bolshie Aussies are more judgemental than their British counterparts. A survey by insurance firm Endsleigh found landlords who gave tenants presents usually chose a bottle of wine, although a quarter gave flowers and plants as housewarming gifts.

Although it didn’t mention cleaning gifts, about 70% of the tenants who received presents stayed in their rental property for over two years, whereas 54% of those who didn’t receive a gift stayed for more than two years. 

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