Why this kitchen sink sparked a legal battle with landlord

The sink dint at the centre of the case. Photo / Reddit/@BatteryPoweredPigeon

We have all heard about petty disagreements between renters and landlords, but this might take the cake.

A Sydney man claims his landlord threatened to withhold his entire bond over a small dint at the bottom of a stainless steel kitchen sink and requested $1350 to fix it.

The renter was not willing to give in so easily, instead taking his case to NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Sharing the decision on social media, the man made clear he was unfamiliar with the process and how much legal knowledge he had to have.

But with some encouragement from random strangers on the internet, the man took on his landlord, who was represented by a real estate agent.

On Thursday, the man updated those following his story on Reddit – thrilled to reveal he only had to pay $400 towards the damaged sink.

During a one-on-one call with the agent, he said he initially offered $500 but the offer was rejected so the case was moved onto a hearing.

The Tribunal Member hearing the case then decided on $400.

"I begrudgingly agree, but the agent has to call the landlord, who objects," the Reddit user wrote. "He won't take less than $800. The judge doesn't budge on the $400, deeming it 'more than fair'."

He explained that he argued that the sink worked just fine when the agent said the landlord cared about the quality of the apartment.

The agent also apparently claimed the landlord was worried about premature rust.

"It's a stainless steel sink. The reason it's used in kitchen appliances is that it doesn't rust. That's its specific selling point," the renter said.

While he said the landlord expressed a desire to appeal, he was still celebrating what he deemed a win.

"So I'm getting $1185 back as opposed to the $210 I was due for before," he wrote.

"But honestly, the chance to listen to the estate agent try and fail to garner any sort of win with the judge made the cost worthwhile.

"I don't even care if they appeal. It just means I get to hear them cry more."

Reddit users flooded the comments with praise, congratulating the man on his win.

"On behalf of other renters, thanks for doing this … It's great when people stand up to greedy landlords," one wrote.

"Glorious. I still think $400 is excessive for what's essentially cosmetic damage, but hey – pleased to hear you saw it through and walked outta there with a solid middle finger to the agent and owner," another wrote.