The Aussie real estate industry: Where bullying, assault and mental health issues are rife

PHOTO: Real estate agents. FILE

Burnout, violence and mental health issues are plaguing this industry, with calls to stop putting money first. Warning: Distressing

Ellen Bathgate had never had a black eye before she was punched in the face in her own office.

The 38-year-old experienced her first and only black eye while working as a real estate agent, and is one of a growing number of agents speaking out about the horrific conditions they are working under.

The real estate world is now classified as high risk after the Victorian Coroner’s office found that the annual suicide rate within the industry was 13 per 100,000 people.

Ms Bathgate, who has worked in the industry for 17 years, isn’t surprised by the shocking statistics.

She describes a culture of non-stop work, racking up over 60 hours a week and being on call 24/7, while also experiencing violence on the job.

The Sydneysider was assaulted on the job after having a tenant evicted, who was three months behind in rent.

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She then had to obtain a garnishee order for $10,000 in unpaid rent to be recovered where $300 was taken directly from the tenant’s bank account.

“The tenant came into the office to express her displeasure at having every cent in her bank account taken to start to pay off the debt and she was really upset,” she told news.com.au.

“I didn’t have any de-escalation training on how to de-escalate that situation and she ended up at the very end of the intense conversation standing up and announcing the only way she could have somewhere to sleep that night was to be locked up in jail.

“She said ‘I guess you are going to have to charge me’ and punched me right in the face and stood up and left the office.”

Ellen Bathgate, former real estate agent and property manager, who has worked in the industry since she was 18 and suffered mental health challenges as a result of the stresses and toxic culture of the industry. Picture: Supplied

While the 38-year-old said she was “surprisingly calm” after the terrifying incident, it wasn’t until weeks later she realised how much it had impacted on her life.

Living in a small town at the time meant she couldn’t avoid the woman and if she ever saw her, she would end up “triggered” – experiencing the shakes and feeling unsafe.

The Voice of the Property Manager 2021 report released by MRI Software in February 2022, showed 60 per cent of Australian property managers found dealing with aggressive and abusive owners and tenants as their biggest challenge.

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It showed 53 per cent were struggling with mental health and almost one in four intended to leave the industry altogether – twice the number recorded in the inaugural 2018 report.

Antonia Mercorella, CEO of the Real Estate Institute of Queensland, said property managers had been front and centre during the Covid eviction moratorium, ongoing rental reviews and reforms and the recent flooding disaster.

“It has been an unrelenting onslaught of challenge after challenge for property managers over the past couple of years, and this mounting pressure is understandably taking an emotional toll. It’s little wonder that we have seen a wave of resignations amongst this sector,” Ms Mercorella said.

“We’ve heard concerning reports of property managers regularly encountering verbal abuse and, in some cases, even being physically assaulted while simply doing their job.”