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Home / Lifestyle

Opinions divided over landlord's 'passive aggressive' housewarming gift

news.com.au
19 Feb, 2020 09:45 PM3 mins to read

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Healthy Home Standards: Your rights as a tenant. Video / OneRoof

When you move into a new place, there is often nothing nicer than a house-warming present.

But this gift basket from a landlord to their tenant has divided opinion on Facebook, with some applauding the idea while others have accused the present of being "passive aggressive".

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Landlords gift couple a rent-free week
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Posting on the Bunnings Mums Australia Facebook page, a woman shared how she had put together a present for someone who had recently moved into her rental property.

"A house-warming gift for new tenant to help keep our renovated unit in good order," the woman wrote.

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The gift included practical items like clothes pegs and toilet paper, as well as air freshener, toilet bleach, cleaning spray, and sponges.

Perhaps to sweeten the gift hamper, a packet of Tim Tams was also included.

While the mum's gift came with good intentions it swiftly divided opinion on Facebook, attracting hundreds of comments.

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"Hope you left the receipt so they can get a refund on this passive aggressive hamper," one person wrote, while another said: "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 piss me off."

Not everyone agreed that it was a 'passive aggressive' gift. Photo / Facebook
Not everyone agreed that it was a 'passive aggressive' gift. Photo / Facebook

But others hit back, saying they had received similar gifts from landlords in the past, arguing it was no different to a food hamper.

"A food hamper is a gesture of kindness. Not expectation," one woman responded. "They want to make sure you have something to eat on your first few nights as moving in is a big task. That's nice. Cleaning products? No … Rude."

"I dunno? I kinda took offence to this. What happened to flowers or a pot plant?" another person added.

Others said they would find receiving a gift like this frustrating as not everyone can use the same cleaning products and a voucher would have been better.

"Whilst I get that cleaning products are expensive, I am unable to use most of these products because of sensitivities and I would feel horrible that they are there," one person said.

However others hit back at those slamming the "thoughtful" gift, with many saying they would have loved to have received something similar.

"I would be so thankful for this as a tenant!" one wrote, while another said: "Lovely gesture. Event if it's not products they'd use, they can donate them and use their own."

"As a renter, I would appreciate this," one person commented. "Sometimes when starting off these items can be expensive trying to purchase all at once, or not knowing what products are best to use etc."

Others applauded the gesture for being a way that the landlord could start things off on the right foot.

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"Such a good way to get the tenant on the right side and have them want to keep the place looked after for you, well done," one person wrote.

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