An Australian comedian'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. Tom Cashman, a regular on The Project, decided to flip the script and ask for proof that previous tenants were satisfied living under the owner who had approved his application. But after exchanging emails about the request with an unimpressed property manager, Mr Cashman's application was unexpectedly withdrawn. He had already been approved for the studio apartment in Sydney's eastern suburbs at $380 a week before he cheekily asked for the reference. 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 with his partner, after winning a bogus claim against his bond over an alleged ant infestation) The agent, Stephanie, apparently did not see the funny side of the 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.' Poll Should landlords provide references from former tenants? Yes 7 votes No 0 votes Now share your opinion Then 'within that same minute' she cancelled his application, which generated an automatic notification. 'The response was a bit more intense than I was expecting,' Mr Cashman said in a video, which he posted to Instagram and TikTok. 'I thought it was a reasonable request,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'I've had good landlords and bad ones and the difference can have a pretty big impact on you.' He did not want to name the agency or the agent's surname because 'I'm not interested in getting anyone fired.' 'I also still need to find a home to rent,' he said to Daily Mail Australia. However Mr Cashman admitted Stephanie might find his way into his routine at the upcoming Melbourne Comedy Festival. He felt the incident reveals an 'unfair power dynamic' between agents and tenants. 'Most of the time when you sign a contract you know who have some idea of who you are dealing with,' he said. 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') 'It seems pretty reasonable information to ask for before signing a contract for tens of thousands of dollars to ask who they are, because for some reason it's a secret. 'Why does someone need to be secret in a commercial relationship? 'I don't think I even agree with the argument that it's "normal" practice".' Mr Cashman, a renter for 10 years, has had landlord issues before and once had to defend himself over bogus claims of an ant infestation in a unit where he'd never seen an ant. He was asked to pay $100 for the removal of an ant infestation after leaving a tenancy in Leichhardt - but refused. The agent's proof was a photo of 'four ants on a bench'. Mr Cashman fought that claim and won. 'I argued that four ants is not enough to constitute an ant infestation.' He admitted he asked the question over the reference because he had other options and wasn't desperate. But if tenants are not in a rush, he recommends others asking for a reference. 'The more people that do it, the more normal it will become,' he said. On social media plenty of others agreed with Mr Cashman and recounted landlord horror stories. 'My last landlord hung a dead pigeon on a stake in my front yard. I definitely would like any future tenants to know that,' Sinead wrote on TikTok. 'My last landlord said “I’m not going to spend money fixing things in a house I don’t live in”. I wish I couldn’t told the next tenants that,' wrote Lila. Even a landlord agreed. Mr Cashman said he's had good landlords and bad ones and the difference can have a big impact on your life 'I am a landlord - I would happily give out references, I think some sort of score sheet would be great to make it fair across the board, wrote Joeyanna. Several also suggested leaving google reviews on real estate agents - which could help keep agents accountable, but not owners. NSW needs a licensing registration scheme to keep track of landlords, said Leo Patterson-Ross, CEO of the NSW Tenant's Union. Such a scheme has recently been introduced in Scotland, costing landlords a $117. Mr Patterson-Ross told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Cashman was right to point out the problem. 'It’s a really important principle to raise that this power imbalance is there and what are the implications for the way we regulate and think of tenancy contracts,' he said. 'Most tenancy laws assume there’s equal parties coming together, but that’s not most people's experience.' All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility