Wednesday, 11 October 2017

The Andrews Labor Government will make renting fair for the 27,972 renters in Gippsland, with an unprecedented package of tenancy reforms.

More than one in four Victorians rent their home, a number that is increasing as it becomes more difficult for many Victorians to break into the housing market. They need and deserve better protection.

The Labor Government’s rental fairness package gives tenants more rights, helps them stay on longer leases, makes bonds smaller and fairer, and cracks down on dodgy landlords.

The Government will crack down on rental bidding – a scourge that forces would-be tenants to out-bid each other on rent – and will limit rent increases to once a year to give renters more financial stability.

Renters will get better long-term security by abolishing ‘no specified reason’ notices to vacate, and new restrictions will be placed on ending leases without a reason at the end of a lease when that lease has lasted more than one fixed term.

These measures build on the Labor Government’s introduction of long-term leases to give tenants security.

To end discrimination against renters with pets, the Government will give every tenant the right to own a pet, and while landlords will still need to provide consent, they will only be able refuse in certain circumstances

It will be easier for tenants to make minor modifications to the rental property, such as installing hooks for picture frames – and there will be faster reimbursements for tenants who pay for urgent repairs.

In a significant cost of living reform, bonds will be capped at one month’s rent where the rent is twice the current median weekly rent – currently equivalent to $760 per week or less, covering the vast majority of Victorian rental households. This reform will also apply to rent that is paid in advance.

The Government will also ensure faster release of bonds at the end of a tenancy. Under the reform, tenants will be able to apply for the release of bond without written consent from their landlord, who will have 14 days to raise a dispute before the bond is repaid automatically.

There will be a crackdown on dodgy landlords and with the introduction of a landlord and estate agent blacklist available to renters. False, misleading, and deceptive claims by landlords will also be outlawed.

A new Commissioner for Residential Tenancies will be set up to help champion the rights of Victorian renters and give them a voice in future reform of renting laws over the years to come.

Visit rentfair.vic.gov.au for more information about the biggest rental fairness package in Victorian history.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Consumer Affairs Marlene Kairouz:

“More people are renting than ever before and for longer – that’s why tenants in need a fairer deal.”

“These changes will crack down on rental bidding, make it easier and faster for renters to get their bond back, and will better hold landlords and agents to account for their actions.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Harriet Shing:

“These changes to rental arrangements will provide much-needed certainty for renters and will make standard rental terms and processes fairer.”

“We’re not just making regional homes more affordable for home buyers – over twenty-seven thousand renters across Gippsland will also benefit from these reforms that strike a fair balance.”