Barefoot Investor hits back after he is accused of helping landlords

The Barefoot Investor has hit back at claims he was a ‘right-wing jerk’ for advising a landlord with multiple investment properties to not feel guilty about her success. 

Scott Pape received a letter last week from a woman named Lina, 27, who owns a home in Brisbane, Queensland, and several investment properties. 

Lina credited her success to following Mr Pape’s investment tips, but said her friend had been unsupportive by caling ‘all landlords and shareholders scum’.

Mr Pape said Lina had no reason to feel guilty about her success and put down her negative friend for behaving like a five-year-old.

His response sparked a flurry of outrage a week later with self-confessed ‘bitter and twisted Greens’ voter Felicity writing in to acccuse him of promoting greed.

‘We all thought you were a nice guy who cared about people, but you let the Grinch in,’ Felicity wrote in a letter published in the Barefoot Investor’s column on Sunday. 

‘You told Lina to keep climbing the ladder of success, leaving her friends in the dust, and stomping on Greens voters like me on her way up. 

‘Way to go, you right-wing jerk. Your words matter.’ 

Click here to resize this module

Felicity added Mr Pape should have encouraged Lina to share her good fortune and suggested she could donate to charity. 

‘The least you could have done is given Lina some idea of how she could share some of her good fortune, by donating to charity for example,’ she wrote. 

‘But instead you told her it’s OK to be greedy in the face of others’ hardship.’

Mr Pape defended his advice and questioned Felicity on her suggestion that Lina donates to charity. 

He argued Lina should not be made to feel guilty for working hard and finding success, nor should she have to donate money to absolve her guilt.  

‘Flick, you do sound bitter and twisted: Do you honestly think Lina should feel bad about working hard, saving, and getting ahead in life?’ Mr Pape responded. 

‘And that she should donate some money to wash away the ‘guilt’ of her hard work?

‘There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting off your rump and achieving success… just as long as you don’t believe you’re ‘self-made’.

Mr Pape added being a good person was far more important than the amount of money they have accumulated and claimed Felicity was the one ‘green with envy’. 

‘Look, no one should have to apologise for their success,’ Mr Pape wrote. 

‘What ultimately matters isn’t the size of your bank balance but that you’re a kind, considerate and empathetic person. 

‘And in that sense I think it’s you who has the problem. You’re green with envy!’

Lina explained in her initial letter to Mr Pape that she felt guilty for having multiple investment properties during Australia’s cost-of-living crisis.

‘My best friend says “all landlords and shareholders are scum”,’ she wrote. 

‘I want to build wealth for my family and future children, but I feel bad about getting ahead when others are being left behind. Can I please get some advice?’

Mr Pape congratulated Lina on her success and claimed her friend seemed to be frustrated with her own financial security. 

He added the friend was name-calling like a ‘five-year-old’ and advised Lina to be kind, but if it continues to possibly find new friends.  

‘We may all live in the wealthiest country on earth, but there’s a growing divide between the haves (home owners) and the have-nots (renters) that is driving deep-seated resentment,’ Mr Pape wrote. 

‘However, calling people names is a five-year-old’s way of looking at the world, and it’s going to lead her to becoming a bitter and twisted Greens voter.

‘If this was a playground tiff, I’d tell you to not take it personally and to try and be kind to your friend as she goes through a rough patch. 

‘However, if she continues to use you like a cat uses a scratching post, I’d argue it’s time to branch out and find some new kittens to play with.’

The total number of rental vacancies Australia-wide in April stood at 33,177 residential properties – a 0.1 per cent increase from the previous month, according to SQM Research. 

Over the past 30 days to May 12, capital city and national asking rents recorded a softer rise compared to recent periods with asking rents rising by just 0.5 per cent. 

The increase represents one of the slower rises in market rents since the outbreak of the national rental crisis in 2021. 

Managing Director of SQM Research Louis Christopher said the rental crisis was far from over despite rental vacancy rates easing slightly in April.  

‘The immediate outlook is vacancy rates are set to rise somewhat into winter,’ Mr Christopher said.  

‘This is the normal seasonality we get at this time of year so one should be a little careful about reading into these rises. 

‘Nevertheless, it might provide some minor relief to tenants who still have excessive difficulties in finding longer term rental accommodation around the country. 

‘The full year outlook remains the same in that we expect overall tight vacancy rates to be with us for 2024, driven by a fall in dwelling completions relative to ongoing growing demand.’