A property manager has claimed her tenant ‘faked a break-in’ in order to have the locks changed, as a comedian prepares to take her to court. 

Joe Eidelson informed the Daily Mail that he has been examining correspondence between his partner and her property manager in anticipation of a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) hearing.

He and his girlfriend are fighting the landlord’s claims to their bond payment. 

‘I believe we’ll have mediation next week, and then if it’s still unresolved, a tribunal date will be set after that,’ he said. 

In the process of preparing, Mr Eidelson had reviewed a cache of messages between the property manager and his partner. 

‘I thought I’d peruse the archive of malicious incompetence that are this agent’s emails,’ he said in a now-viral clip on Tuesday. 

He stumbled across an incident in June, when his partner’s property was broken into while she was spending a few days at his home. 

‘We called the police, contacted the agent, got the locks changed, yada yada,’ he said. 

Melbourne comic Joe Eidelson (above) said his girlfriend was accused of a ‘false flag’ break-in after the property manager misread an email

Then the real estate agent – whom he called ‘Dorothy’ – said Mr Eidelson’s girlfriend would have to cover the $160 cost of changing the door locks. 

‘Her reasoning as to why the tenant should pay for the lock change was because detective Dorothy had uncovered a conspiracy,’ he said.

‘See, the break-in was a fiction, a fabrication; and Big D had evidence – a smoking gun with which Dozza had blown this whole case wide open.’

Dorothy said she had found an email sent by Mr Eidelson’s partner on the day of the break in – June 3.

In her email, the tenant asked which parking space a visitor would be able to use at a later date. 

The property manager took it as evidence that Mr Eidelson’s girlfriend was at home at the time of the break-in.  

‘Therefore the break-in never happened and therefore it was nothing more than a false flag operation,’ Mr Eidelson joked. 

‘On May 30th, the tenant left the apartment for 5 days, and upon returning on June 4th, discovered a break-in, which was reported to the agent the same day,’ he said.

The property manager insisted there were no signs of a break-in and blamed Mr. Eidelson’s girlfriend for the incident (as shown in the manager’s correspondence above).

‘Dorothy’ initially attempted to charge the tenant, but later indicated that the landlord would cover the cost (pictured, another email from the property manager).

‘But ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Detective Dodo located an email sent by the tenant on the 3rd of June.’

He laughed the evidence was ‘damning’. 

‘And it gets worse, this email even mentions that they will be at the apartment, wait for it, “tomorrow”.

‘3rd of June plus 1 day. Carry the 2. No one could possibly work that out. Your Honor, the glove fits, you must convict.’

Mr Eidelson pointed out the property manager’s flawed logic, and Dorothy later got in touch to provide an update.

‘I have spoken with the rental provider and he will no longer be pursuing you for the payment of the invoice,’ she wrote in the email. 

Online, renters were quick to lash the property manager’s handling of the situation. 

‘In all fairness, boomers do think your email is attached to one device and will crash out if asked to log in anywhere else,’ one wrote. 

The property manager later said the landlord had agreed to cover the minor $160 payment (above, houses in North Melbourne)

‘No one ever failed a real estate exam,’ another added.

Others said they had also battled landlords over changing locks. 

‘My REA tried to evict me for changing locks at my own expense … after my abusive ex was arrested for assault,’ one said. 

The comedian had previously criticized the agent as he and his partner pursued a bond dispute with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

His partner’s lease had ended in the time since the lock-change incident and the property manager sought to keep the bond. 

‘The VCAT claim involves $1,000 that the agent and owner wish to retain from the bond for claims that are either false, frivolous, or represent fair wear and tear,’ Mr. Eidelson stated to the Daily Mail.

‘And, in some particularly infuriating instances, their own photos even contradict their claims.’

They sent a series of side-by-side entry and exit photos showing apparent ‘damage to the property’ including chips on the bottom of doors and a small stain on a piece of wood.

The comedian (pictured) said he may find more material for his comedy if the property manager’s ‘chicanery’ is to continue

But Mr Eidelson said the pictures were not exactly as they seemed. 

A previously chipped bathroom basin was handily obscured in the beginning-of-lease photograph.  

‘Alas, you see, through a clever use of mis-en-scene and compositional photography, the relevant area has been cleverly obscured by the tap,’ he previously said while reviewing the photos. 

‘It’s also somewhat suspicious that the exit photos are crystal clear while the before photos look like they were taken by someone fleeing a rabid goose.’

Mr Eidelson said the ‘incompetent’ property manager could feature in future comedic productions, ‘should (her) chicanery continue’.

He said: ‘Almost everyone who’s paid rent before has an experience like this’, adding he liked hearing stories from other renters going through similar incidents.

VicLocks Australia said lock changes in Victoria can be the responsibility of the tenant or landlord depending on the situation. 

‘If you are a tenant, lock changes due to lost keys, damage, or personal preference are usually your cost, with landlord approval,’ their website stated.

‘If the lock is faulty or needs replacing for safety reasons, the landlord or owners’ corporation may cover it. 

‘For owner-occupiers, costs are typically yours unless the issue affects common property, in which case strata may contribute.’