The comedian who asked his new landlord for a reference and made viral videos about his sudden rejection has stopped laughing, after being denied a home without explanation.
Tom Cashman took to TikTok to document his unsuccessful attempt to get a reference from a prospective landlord for an apartment in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, earning millions of views and media attention.
But on Thursday another application by Mr Cashman for a two bedroom unit was inexplicably rejected, leaving him wondering if landlords are out to get him.
‘I mean f***ing hell, I must be getting trolled at this point,’ a clearly gutted Mr Cashman said in a new video.
Comedian Tom Cashman (pictured) is gutted that another rental application was cancelled. He wonders if agents are now out to get him
He also pointed out he has nowhere to say from this weekend, but can find emergency accommodation if needed.
‘It’s very reminiscent of the first situation where I get approved and then I get rejected,’ Mr Cashman said.
‘Were they trying to replicate that, to get to me, in some solidarity with other landlords?
‘From my perspective, this was very funny a few weeks ago, not so funny now when I desperately need a place.’
As with the first chapter of his saga Mr Cashman again received support from his many followers.
When Tom Cashman applied again for a rental property the agent had seemingly heard media attention about the landlord reference request. His application was unexpectedly terminated
Tom Cashman’s cheeky request for his new landlord to provide a reference has backfired, but he reckons renters shouldn’t be afraid to follow his lead (Pictured: Mr Cashman and his former housemate after winning a bogus claim against his bond over an alleged ant infestation)
‘You’ve hit a nerve,’ wrote Melanie on Instagram. ‘We, the people, applaud you (doesn’t help you sleep at night I’m sure but it’s something).’
‘Bit suss that they wouldn’t even give you a legit reason why!’ said Jackie, while another, Jacinta offered him a room.
Mr Cashman explained: ‘I didn’t even ask this landlord for a reference. I asked another landlord for a reference, completely unrelated person weeks ago, and still that’s enough.
‘That’s how power-mad these people are!’
Except in his latest video about his new rejection Mr Cashman did enquire about getting a landlord reference – albeit jokingly.
During an SMS exchange with another property manager, he was asked: ‘are you going to ask for a Landlord reference?’
He played along.
‘That’s not worked out well for me in the past,’ Mr Cashman joked. ‘Of course if the landlord has one lying around I wouldn’t mind having a peek.’
Renter Tom Cashman asked his property manager if she could get the landlord to provide a reference from previous tenants. She replied saying she didn’t understand the request, so he asked again (pictured, Mr Cashman’s correspondence with ‘Stephanie’)
‘I could always ask,’ came the reply, before another message asking if he was genuinely interested.
Mr Cashman was approved for the unit and began to discuss moving-in dates – before the landlord unexpectedly changed his mind.
‘Good afternoon Thomas, strange turn of events, the owner has decided not to proceed with your application,’ the agent wrote in an e-mail.
‘I’ve asked for a reason why and he told me “we would like to continue our search”.’
In late January, an property manager in Sydney’s eastern suburbs coldly withdrew Mr Cashman’s application – which had been approved – after his unusual request for the landlord to provide a reference.
The agent, Stephanie, apparently didn’t see the funny side of his request, after initially claiming she didn’t understand the question.
‘The owner does not wish to contact the previous tenants and it is not a requirement,’ she wrote back to him.
‘Good luck with your property search.’
That led to a flurry of social media posts, media appearances and apparent support from tenancy and property owners on the issue.
Mr Cashman’s style of comedy includes sometimes drily analysing mundane information as part of his stand-up routine. His style is broadly similar on social media.
In this case, he gained international attention over what seemed like a legitimate point about the unfair power dynamic between landlords and tenants.
He even shared detailed information including emails and the first name of the agent who withdrew his application, Stephanie.
Perhaps prophetically in the middle of the saga he published a joke post styled to look like spam, titled ‘Landlords hate him.’
‘He beat the system using one weird trick. Find out how.’
Daily Mail readers agreed with Ms Cashman’s stance in a landslide. In a poll 80 per cent of readers said landlords should provide references from former tenants.
Mr Cashman, a renter for 10 years, has had issues with landlords before and once had to defend himself over bogus claims of an ant infestation in a unit where he’d never actually seen an ant.
He was asked to pay $100 for the removal of the ‘ant infestation’ after leaving a tenancy in the inner Sydney suburb of Leichhardt – but refused. The agent’s proof was a photo of ‘four ants on a bench’.
Mr Cashman fought the claim and won.
