From the first instance it looks like someone who is pissed at losing some of their bond, and has way too much time on their hands.  Propbably the only people joining the group are the friends of the person.  There is not much activity.  I wouldnt be too worried about it.  There are certain laws and regulations for someone being listed on TICA.  I think once this person see’s the bigger picture they will lose interest.

Kylie

It seems this person has had a bitter experience somewhere along the way! I am sure that once they realise that they could be sued by a property owner etc, they will pull the pin on their website idea.

There is already a very similar site to this- that has perhaps already caught your attention or been discussed? HomeTruth, www.hometruth.com.au. I think at first disgruntled Tenants may find this a great way to vent but in the long-term it will be counter-productive to building any good relationship. There appears to be a type of ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ system in place; it would be great to see this changed. These sites are not the answer.

productreview.com.au has a services section listing most of the major real estate agency brands and some of the independents. There are 100s of reviews – most of them from disgruntled tenants and some from unhappy vendors. There are also some favourable reviews. As this is one of the major consumer sites in australia, having your agency listed with several bad reviews would impact upon the decision of any property owner thinking of listing.

The site www.tenancyone.com is creating a platform for Property Managers and propsective Tenants to meet. It could be a positive move- in the direction of building relationships between the two groups. However, it does not have any features or services for Landlords.

Wow productreview.com.au is pretty full on! So many agencies are listed, and almost all with negative reviews.  I noticed that a tenant from a previous employer has made a recent negative comment, mentioning that they are going to tribunal.  I wonder what the instance would be if the business owner decided to sue the tenant for defamation..? Being that the circumstances are all listed online, it wouldnt be difficult to track the poster down.

I have to wonder about the legalities about creating a website that has the intention of listing details about agencies/landlords but not keeping records of who is posting.

Was it not too long ago in the news that a teenager was in trouble for creating a facebook page that ended up posting defamatory comments about police officers. Whilst the people posting were not punished.. the host of the page was.

Listing on Tica has legislation which we must adhere to, what do these types of sites have to adhere to? Should the OFT be notified?

A random tenant complaint website is often easily dismissed and rarely visited.  The real threat to the Property Management business is the totally anonymous customer review forums popping up all over the internet.  Between Google and Yahoo forums, disgruntled tenants can say practically anything they please – ANONYMOUSLY – and it is up to us, as managers, to refute while attempting to remain pleasant and civil.   The only defense I have found is kindness mixed with facts and hopefully more good reviews from satisfied clients to help lend much-needed balance and perspective.