Australian Comedian Who Became Famous for Requesting References from a Landlord is Now Getting Blacklisted

Tom Cashman, a comedian based in Australia, decided to try a new technique back in January while he was in the midst of apartment hunting. He wasn't in a rush at the time for a new place, so was taking his time and allowing himself to be picky. So when he got approved for a place he wasn't all that serious about, he decided he would see if the potential landlords would send him references. They had asked for three from him, so it sounds pretty reasonable and fair to ask for them to send some as well. They needed references to make sure Cashman wasn't a bad person, only makes sense that he has some sort of references to make sure he's not about to put his living situation into the hands of a monster. 

Long story short, the real estate agent was confused and the landlords were upset and withdrew his application. Cashman posted the entire saga on his TikTok as it was going down and went insanely viral. We're not just talking millions of TikTok views and likes (though he did get that too), we're also talking about starting a movement. Professionals in real estate started commenting on the situation and renters in Australia are now trying to normalize asking potential landlords for references.

Asking for a landlord references Part 1:

Asking for a landlord references Part 2:

He's been interviewed by multiple local Australian and even New Zealand news sites and TV shows. Multiple online media outlets have written about his unintentionally movement. And his TikTok followers have become international with people even from NYC being wanting to get into the new renters movement.

Though the landlord references idea would be amazing for renters, poor Cashman is now being blacklisted by landlords in his area. When he first started his apartment search he was in no real rush, but now his lease is about to be up and he's becoming desperate for a place. He and his friend recently applied for a two bedroom apartment and initially got approved. Things were looking good and the real estate agent even joked about his “landlord reference” viralness. Though he didn't request for any this time, his application approval was mysteriously denied out of nowhere. 

Blacklisted:

Even with the now looming threat of homelessness, Cashman stands by his accidental movement. He really just started all this as a comedy bit, but then it grew to have a more juste cause. In the video, he says he'll be fine and will not end up on the streets. TikTokers comment on the video thanking him for is sacrifice, making him a martyr for the renters cause.