Many Gold Coast apartments have views to die for but one woman may have taken that saying way too literally.
A Surfers Paradise resident recently filmed an occupant of the Peninsula Apartments on Clifford Street attempting some amateur window cleaning.
Perched 16 floors above the ground, this person climbed out of a window, placed a chair on a narrow open ledge, stood upon it and proceeded to vigorously wipe the external glass.
The videographer, who captured the terrifying scene, admitted to filming in “absolute shock” before immediately dialling triple-0.
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While emergency services reportedly didn’t attend, the clip quickly exploded on Reddit, racking up hundreds of comments and igniting a firestorm of questions about how such a dangerous building design could possibly be legal.
One comment, in particular, hit a nerve, tapping into the growing frustration of renters nationwide: “The real estate agent must have demanded the windows were clean on exit.” This quip resonates deeply with the increasing number of Australians sharing their horror rental stories online, where tenants often face unreasonable demands and escalating pressures.
A window-cleaning stunt 16 floors above Surfers Paradise has caused ripples on social media.Picture: Reddit.
Only recently, an Australian real estate agent sparked an absolute firestorm online after their truly bizarre demands over “leaf litter” during a routine inspection went viral, igniting debate about the increasingly absurd pressures on renters.
The NSW tenant, who wishes to remain anonymous, took to Reddit to expose the jaw-dropping inspection report.
The agent had flagged “leaf litter” in the entrance, front yard, and backyard as issues requiring urgent “rectification,” complete with photographic evidence.
The kicker? The tenant was then ordered to provide their own photo evidence of the clean-up to avoid a follow-up inspection.
The post exploded, quickly becoming a rallying cry for frustrated renters across the country.
Hundreds of Australians flooded the comments with their own horror stories of nit-picky, often humiliating, rental inspections.
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The Gold Coast woman was seen balancing on a chair. Picture: Reddit.
One commenter perfectly encapsulated the widespread anger: “I’m almost certain that in most jurisdictions, the purpose of an inspection is to ensure the structural integrity of the property. It is not a ‘cleaning’ inspection.”
While it’s unclear if the Gold Coast woman owns or rents her apartment, the incident has thrown a spotlight on a critical loophole in Australia’s building codes.
Since May 2013, the Australian Building Code mandates that any openable windows with a fall of two metres or more require protection to prevent falls.
However, this rule is not retrospective.
This means older buildings, like many of the Gold Coast’s iconic high-rises, are exempt unless major modifications are undertaken.
“Doesn’t the body corporate get someone to do this professionally?” one Facebook user questioned, echoing the sentiment of many who believe such hazardous tasks should be handled by trained professionals.
A NSW tenant recently expressed anger over being told to clean up leaves outside his home which were dragged in by the agent during an inspection. Source: Reddit / countyjester1300
Others were simply stunned by the woman’s apparent fearlessness, with one remarking, “Obviously a Baby Boomer no fear at all!!!!!!”
The terrifying truth is that while something broken or deteriorating in an older building must be fixed, it only needs to be brought up to the standard that existed when it was built – not current safety codes.
This creates a potential ticking time bomb in our older high-rise properties, where residents might unknowingly be living with outdated safety provisions.
While updating every older high-rise to meet contemporary building codes might seem an insurmountable task for residents and management, this viral incident serves as a stark warning.
The cost of inaction could be far greater than the cost of proactive safety upgrades.
For those looking to clean their own windows safely, experts recommend magnetic window cleaners for fixed panes, extendible or U-shaped telescopic poles for reachable windows, or even robotic window cleaners.
But one piece of advice is universal: never, ever climb on a stool or, worse, a chair on a narrow ledge, 16 floors up.
This viral moment is a chilling reminder that some views simply aren’t worth dying for.
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