What is the meaning of "I’ll be up you for the rent"?

Question

In this video at 1:43, Ray (the guy on the right), says something like:

"And if I ever hear you having your eyes lifted or something done to your chin I'll be up you for the rent too by the way."

I can perfectly understand the first part of his statement, but the second one got me confused. What does "I'll be up you for the rent too" mean in this context?

Attempted transcription:

Left: "Aiii, Raymunda."

Right: "I could do with a nip and tuck; she doesn't need one. She's a beautiful young woman. Stop all the nonsense."

Left: "All right, I think we'll leave it there, Ray [or eh]."

Right: "Prob'ly a good idear."

Left: (Hisses and laughs)

Right: "And if I ever hear you having your eyes lifted or something done to your chin, I'll be [up to/after] you for [the rent] too, by the way."

Left: "No, I know you will be. You'll be [up me in?] for [the rent] anyway."

Answer 1

I’m a native speaker of American English, and passingly familiar with British English. I’ve never heard this expression before, and given the speakers are Australian, I conclude it’s a regionalism in Australian English.

So I checked Macquarie Dictionary (the canonical reference for Australian English), and indeed the 85th entry for up is:

85. up you (for the rent), Colloquial (an exclamation of insolent or abusive dismissal.)

In other words, if the first speaker gets plastic surgery, the other one will mock him mercilessly.

If it weren’t for that, I would have guessed that the logic was “if you get plastic surgery, you demonstrably have disposable income aka plenty of money, so I’m going to hit you up for rent money like a mooch friend, or come after you for rent money like a landlord with deadbeat tenants who I just saw roll into the garage with a BMW”.

Answer 2

I'm an Aussie and this was a somewhat common expression 40 odd years ago, but not so much today. Slang expressions change with the generations and this is a phrase used by older Australians. It may have originated from England. Whilst I still use this expression occasionally, it is only rarely heard today. I believe it may have its roots in the notion of a scurrilous landlord seeking favours from a tenant who has been tardy with their rent payments. However, it can be used in many different contexts, not just in relation to 'unpaid rent'. It is used to convey a sense of aggression on the part of the person doing the 'upping'. In other words, the person 'upping' someone else is demanding a response - it is not a polite enquiry. For example: a) As a "please explain" to any given situation. e.g. "My report to the boss was late so he was up me for the rent." b) As a demand for reparation. e.g. "The damage to my car was minor, but I was still up him for the rent." c) To convey a sense of anger. e.g. "My dog pissed on his carpet, so he was up me for the rent."

Answer 3

Macquarie Slang Dictionary, revised edition (2000) has entries for two seemingly closely related phrases:

up you (for the rent)! Also, up yours; up your arse! an exclamation indicating insolent or disgusted dismissal.

who's up who (and who's paying the rent), a. an inquiry as to personal alliances in a political or business group, etc. b. an inquiry as to the alliances and sexual relationships within a a particular group of people.

Both phrases (I suspect) refer to an imagined or metaphorical bargain in which one person agrees to pay another person's rent in exchange for the second person's agreeing to submit to sex with the first person. The second expression, in particular, emphasizes the dominance, power, authority, or advantage of one person over the other, although it might readily be applicable to a situation where it isn't clear who in a group of people is in charge, makes decisions, or the like.

G.A. Wilkes, A Dictionary of Australian Colloquialisms (1978) has a bit more to say about the second slang expression (which appears to be the older of the two):

up who, who's (and who's paying the rent) See quot. 1966: World War II slang [Earliest two cited examples:] 1966 Baker 172: who's up who (and who's paying the rent)? Just what is happening? Who's in control? e.g. 'Nobody knows who's up who' etc., said of a complete mess-up. 1970 Barry Oakley Let's Hear It for Prendergast 66: 'These days you don't know who's up who and who's paying the rent.'

Baker is Sidney Baker, The Australian Language (1966). Neither the 1978 first edition of Wilkes nor the 1996 fourth edition mentions "up you (for the rent)."