When Kiran de Silva lost his job due to COVID-19, he knew he wouldn't be able to afford his rent.

Key points: Mr de Silva wrote to his agent asking for a rent reduction

Mr de Silva wrote to his agent asking for a rent reduction Up to 50 people had success with their rent by using Mr de Silva's letter

Up to 50 people had success with their rent by using Mr de Silva's letter Tenants told that landlords are also doing it tough during the COVID-19 pandemic

He pays $865 a month for a bedroom he shares with his girlfriend in Camperdown in Sydney's inner west.

The total household rent is normally $3910 a month.

When another member of the household also lost work because of the pandemic he was forced to ask for a rent decrease.

Mr de Silva felt comfortable approaching his agent and asking for a 50 per cent rent reduction.

"To be completely transparent, we just simply won't be able to afford to pay rent at the current rate for the foreseeable future," he wrote to his agent.

Mr de Silva said his agent was very compassionate, something he appreciated having just lost his "dream job" at music ticketing website Dice.

"I knew that our agent was a reasonable guy and our landlords are really good people," he said.

"[The agent] wrote straight back and said 'don't stress, a lot of tenants are in a similar position'.

"It felt reassuring to have someone that was giving you some level of empathy."

The landlords agreed to reduce the monthly rent by $1710 to $2200, for three months — which worked out to about 44 per cent less than their usual rent.

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"You've got to be super direct about it, be transparent and ask for what you need," Mr de Silva said.

He also said it was important to go into the situation in good faith, assuming that the landlords would be empathetic, and to not be rude or pushy.

Lisa Pennell from Ray White Real Estate agreed empathy was key when going into a negotiation like this.

"A lot of landlords have been incredibly generous and understanding where they are able to be," she said.

Ms Pennell also reminded tenants that landlords were also financially affected by COVID-19.

"[Empathy] needs to go both ways, everyone needs to enter the negotiation with an air of good faith."

Ms Purnell said if a tenant was struggling financially they needed to be on the front foot about contacting their agent and explaining the situation.

She said it was best to put their concerns in writing, so it could be passed onto the landlord, and to attach any supporting documents that you might have available.

Nearly 400 people contacted Mr de Silva after he posted online about his success.

He said about 40-50 people had let him know they also had success using his letter to get their rent reduced.

The strong response also enlightened Mr de Silva to how desperate some people were because of the pandemic.

"I don't think I really comprehended how many people were really at rock bottom," he said.

"It's one of the most unsettling things in the world to not know what you're doing about your home."