Smith Collective fury over $130 rent hike
A WOMAN facing a $130 weekly rent increase at Southport’s Smith Collective complex claims she was denied the opportunity to negotiate because tenants were treated as “just numbers”.
However, a spokeswoman for the residential community said they were not negotiating rents because the properties provided “very good value”.
Smith Collective resident Malena Garcia said a property manager made the comment to her after she received a letter last week warning her rent would jump from $470 per week to $600 upon lease renewal.
Ms Garcia said the Smith Collective employee told her it was not possible to negotiate the increase on her twobedroom apartment.
“They said technically the workers here and the residents and everything are seen as just numbers, that is why they don’t negotiate the prices,” the Southport woman said.
But a Smith Collective spokeswoman said it was committed to providing great value for its long-term residents and did not treat them as numbers.
“Being that we are confident that we are providing very good value for our residents in the current market, we are not negotiating rents at the moment,” she said.
Ms Garcia is one of scores of Smith Collective residents who have taken to social media in recent days to complain about their triple figure weekly rent rises.
On the Smith Collective website, one bedroom apartments are being advertised from $525 per week.
According to the Residential Tenancies Authority, the median rent for a one-bedroom unit in Southport is $480 per week.
The median rent for a twobedroom unit is $585.
Smith Collective has advertised their two-bedroom apartments at $635 per week.
But the community’s spokeswoman said that the prices it offered were in line with the Southport area and Gold Coast more broadly.
“We are confident that when you are considering the standard and presentation of the apartments, the extensive grounds and community facilities, having 24hr security, retail and dining options on site and central location – Smith Collective’s rents compare very favourably with other options available in today’s market,” she said.
“The rental market in and around Southport and the Gold Coast is extremely competitive, with an absence of new construction leading to rising prices due to supply and demand.
“Unfortunately, this has meant that some tenants have had difficulty when their fixed term lease expires as they switch to a market rent that reflects current local conditions.”
Former Smith Collective resident Scott Buglar and his partner recently moved out because they needed more space for their new baby.
Instead of paying $530 per week for a one-bedroom at Smith Collective, they have moved into a four-bedroom house in Coomera for $650.
Mr Buglar said the amount of rent he was paying in the complex was not worth it.
“It was too small, especially with having a newborn baby,” he said.
Originally built as the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games athletes’ village, the 1251-unit Smith Collective development operated by Grocon, UBS Asset Management and JLL was transformed into Australia’s first renters’ community in 2019.