Jordie van den Berg, popularly known as purplepingers on TikTok, has taken it upon himself to expose the abysmal state of rental properties in Australia. Armed with a degree in law and global studies from the Australian Catholic University, this 27-year-old TikToker shares videos that highlight the horrifying conditions of rental homes across the country. From crumbling foundations and dangerous gas leaks to rampant black mold, van den Berg has witnessed it all.
One of his TikTok videos, with over 673,700 views, features a tour of a two-bedroom property in Melbourne’s inner-city suburb of Maribyrnong. The video showcases soaking wet floors and black mold caused by constant water leaks. Dilapidation is evident even before entering the house, with chipped steps and a shattered front door. Once inside, van den Berg steps onto the squelching carpeted floors, water oozing out with each step.
In another video, which has amassed over 210,000 views, van den Berg exposes another terrible rental property in Melbourne. This time, the house has rotting wood foundations submerged in sewage water, a problem that has even affected the pool, turning its water a sickening green. Van den Berg points out exposed pipes and the flow of human waste from them.
These shocking experiences are unfortunately common among renters in Australia, according to van den Berg. Desperate individuals are forced to accept substandard living conditions, knowingly disregarding minimum standards. It is a reflection of the ongoing housing crisis in the country, where skyrocketing property prices have outpaced household incomes. Despite the government’s efforts to address rental property issues, van den Berg believes the situation is worsening.
He explains that the dire conditions of rental properties don’t deter renters due to the housing crisis. In the past, blatantly illegal listings would linger on the market for months. However, van den Berg notes that they now get snapped up within a week. Real-estate agencies sometimes deceive potential tenants by uploading misleading images that don’t accurately represent the properties. According to van den Berg, these listing platforms prioritize maximizing listings to boost their profits.
Van den Berg did not initially plan to focus solely on exposing bad rentals. He started posting comedy skits on TikTok, but as his channel gained popularity, people started sending him terrible rental listings or sharing their own horrendous living situations. The revelations he uncovered motivated him to shine a spotlight on these issues. Despite having a full-time job as a public servant, running his TikTok channel has become a compelling hobby for van den Berg. He generates some income from selling merchandise, but it merely covers the expenses incurred in making his videos.
Landlords and agents often attempt to persuade van den Berg to remove his videos, but he stands his ground. As long as he hasn’t violated any laws, he sees no reason to comply with their requests. While he does face backlash and blacklisting on real-estate Facebook groups, van den Berg remains unfazed. As a homeowner himself, he acknowledges the importance of advocating for tenants who often lack a voice, as speaking up could potentially result in eviction.
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