Law reform

The Queensland government’s Open Doors to Renting Reform consultation process is currently asking about entry and privacy – have your say on the government’s site here! 

This is what we think – feel free to use it to make a submission or join the discussion.

Protect people’s privacy by making sure that they have fair warning before someone enters their home
For many entries to tenants’ homes the law only provides that 24 hours’ notice is required. With such short notice, sometimes tenants don’t even know that an entry is going to be made to their home until it has already occurred.

Entries can be made at any time with the agreement of the tenant, but when it is done by serving a notice, tenants should be given more time.
To Make Renting Fair in Queensland increase all 24 hour entry notice periods to 48 hours.

The Queensland government’s Open Doors to Renting Reform is asking about pets in rental properties – have your say here! 

This is what we think – feel free to use it if you want to make a submission.

Keep people together with their pets in their rental homes
Numerous studies show that having pets increases people’s health, happiness and resilience yet many people who rent their home are not allowed to keep them.

The Animal Welfare League say about 25% of animals surrendered to them last financial year was because of inability to find pet friendly homes.  Quoting the Residential Tenancies Authority, they say only 10% of rental properties in Queensland allow pets.  

It’s not fair to deny tenants’ rights that others take for granted.  Like home owners tenants have to comply with local government regulations about the keeping of pets, and they are required to repairs any damage at the end of their tenancy.

To Make Renting Fair, people who rent should be able to keep their pets in their rental homes!

Get on line, make a submission or contribute to the discussion. 

Do you worry about whether your lease will be renewed? Too scared to ask for repairs or raise other issues for fear of the consequences? We’re encouraging you to tell your experiences to the Queensland government by making a submission to their Open Doors to Rental Reform strategy.  You can also fill in their survey. We think this is the way to go……..

Give people the right to stay in their rental homes
People who rent their home should have the right to stay if they are doing the right thing.

Right now, renters can be asked to leave without being given any reason. This uproots families from their homes with little notice and sometimes on unfair grounds.

We need to change the laws to stop people from being evicted from their homes without any reason.

To Make Renting Fair in Queensland, we need to make sure there is a good reason within the law before a person is asked to leave their home. In other words, ensure we have Just Cause evictions.

The Senate’s Community Affairs Legislation Committee is holding an inquiry into the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Housing Affordability) Bill 2017.  According to one of the committee members, Senator Murray Watt,

“In summary, this Bill extends the existing, voluntary, Rent Deduction Scheme so that it can be applied more broadly by States and Territories, as well as community housing providers to withhold a portion of tenants’ income support and/or Family Tax Benefit payments and use these funds to directly pay rent and utilities costs on behalf of those tenants”.

The National Association of Tenants Organisations (NATO) has concerns about some aspects of the Bill and is circulating this DRAFT summary to assist other interested parties to make submissions by the due date of November 10.  NATO is an affiliation of Tenants Queensland, Tenants Union of NSW, Tenants Union of ACT, Tenants Union of Tasmania, Tenants Union of Victoria and the Darwin Community Legal Centre.

Submissions can be uploaded here https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/OnlineSubmission

The Bill can be found here:

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r5974
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Tenants Queensland is calling for the abolition of without grounds termination of tenancies so that every tenancy is ended with a “JUST CAUSE“. Queensland tenancy law is currently under review. If you agree with us, help our campaign by emailing your views to the Residential Tenancies Authority at enquiries@rta.qld.gov.au  or your State MP.  Tell them that you want Just Cause evictions in Queensland!