News – Page 7 – Tenants Queensland

Disrupted – the consumer experience of renting in Australia

Today’s launch of Disrupted- the consumer experience of renting in Australia by Choice, NATO and NShelter emphasises the need for significant modernization of Queensland tenancy laws. The Queensland government’s current review of tenancy law provides the perfect opportunity to get rid of unfair evictions (by requiring a reasonable ground in law for all tenancy terminations); protect against excessive rent increases and make it fairer and easier for tenants to get their bond back. The time is now!

#rentinoz

Click here to read the full report.

Use our link to give gov’t your views on renting laws (closing soon!!)

Are you a renter looking to improve tenancy rights? Your submissions to government’s Open Doors to Renting Reform close on November 30!! And we’ve just made it easy for you through this link – it will take you 2 minutes!

Simply enter your name, email address and postcode to support the MAKE RENTING FAIR seven point plan.

Alternatively, go to the Open Doors site and make your own submission.

Have your say about BETTER PROTECTIONS for renters

The Governments OPEN DOORS TO RENTAL REFORM continues to seek your feedback on renting. The current theme – BETTER PROTECTIONS seeks your views on how tenancy legislation could better protect more vulnerable tenants such as those experiencing domestic violence, seniors and people with a disability. It is also seeking your feedback on tenancy databases. Have your say here.

Let the government know what you think about ending a tenancy on short notice in situations where there is domestic and family violence by answering the SNAP POLL question here.

Don’t forget to support the Make Renting Fair in Queensland Alliance seven point plan for tenancy law reform and follow Make Renting Fair in Qld Facebook and Twitter.

Minimum standards and the Minister

Sunday’s media release from Minister for Housing and Public Works, the Hon Mick de Brenni cited the heart wrenching case of baby Isabella Diefenbach in outlining his support for the introduction of minimum standards in residential tenancies.

The introduction of minimum standards is not a cause for concern for reasonable investors but a safeguard for renters against those lessors unwilling to ensure their property is fit to live in for their tenants. A key to ensuring minimum standards are effective is taking away the responsibility from individual tenants to enforcing the law. Minimum standards should be enforced by a third party empowered to investigate alleged breaches, order rectifications, deliver sanctions, and provide public access to important records.

Join the campaign to Make Renting Fair in Qld

Today a broad group of community-based organisations launched the Make Renting Fair in Queensland campaign for progressive tenancy law reforms. They’re calling for you to support their seven point plan. Follow Make Renting Fair in Qld Facebook and Twitter

Give people the right to stay in their rental homes and prevent unfair evictions by

Removing ‘no reason’ evictions
Enforcing ‘just cause’ reasons to support eviction notices

Keep rents fair to keep people in their homes by

– Limiting rent increases to once a year
– Justifying rent increases more than 20% above CPI

Make it easier for people who rent to get their bond money back when moving by

Automatically returning bonds to the tenants unless disputed by the lessor

Make sure that people who rent their homes are treated fairly and with honesty by

Providing full disclosure to renters of material that might affect a tenancy before they enter into an agreement and allowing renters to terminate in cases of material misrepresentation

Keep people together with their pets in their rental homes by

Allowing tenants pets in rental properties unless the lessor proves a good reason not to.

Enforce basic standards for rental homes by

Undertaking periodic third party inspections
Introducing transparency between tenancies regarding repair, maintenance and orders of the tribunal.

Protect people’s privacy by making sure that they have fair warning before someone enters their home by

Increasing all 24-hour entry notice periods to 48 hours.

The State Government’s Open Doors to Rent Reform public consultation continues until November 30. We encourage you to make use of the The Make Renting Fair in Qld website for inspiration in making your comments and submissions to government. The Make Renting Fair campaign aims to build momentum through the government’s current consultation process and into next year whilst deliberations are underway on changes to the law.

Entry notice time – snap poll!

Our last post told you what Tenants Queensland thinks about entry notice times – see below. Now the snap poll on the Queensland government’s Open Doors to Renting Reform is asking that question. Please jump on and answer the question – how long should the notice period you get for non–urgent entries.

Here’s what we said previously
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.

Happy International Tenants Day celebrations and QSTARS second birthday Oct 2!

Calling all tenants and their friends to International Tenants’ Day celebrations in Mount Isa, Rockhampton, Cairns, Gold Coast (Labrador), Brisbane (West End)! NB Mount Isa event is on Oct 9

October 1 was also the second birthday of the Queensland Statewide Tenant Advice and Referral Service (QSTARS).

Since 1986, International Tenants Day (ITD) has been celebrated annually in the first week of October. Originating in France, the date was chosen to coincide with the United Nations World Habitat Day. ITD is used to promote and raise awareness of tenants’ right across the world. Tenants Queensland is committed to improving the conditions for renters in our state and to make renting a secure and respected tenure.

We warmly welcome you to our free ITD events on Tuesday October 2, 2018 to help us celebrate!! If you are a renter in Queensland you might also like to enter our photo competition.

Brisbane	Cairns	Gold Coast	Mt Isa	Rockhampton
Time: 10-2pm Bunyapa Park/ West End Urban Common 39 Thomas Street , West End FREE BBQ entertainment, tenancy information Ph: 3832 9447	Time: 2-4pm 208 McLeod St, Cairns (TQ Cairns office). FREE BBQ, tenancy information and fun! Ph: 4241 0016	Time: 11–2pm Harley Park, Labrador FREE BBQ entertainment, tenancy information Ph: 5525 6599	OCT 9 Time: 9 -11am Mount Isa Neighbourhood Centre, 72 Marian St, Mt Isa FREE tenants breakfast and sausage sizzle, tenancy information Ph: 4749 3081	Time: 11-1pm The office of Mr Barry O’Rourke Member for Rockhampton. 3/7 Denham Street Rockhampton FREE tenants breakfast and sausage sizzle, tenancy information Ph: 4816 9814

Renting in Qld – win $100 in our THIS PLACE, MY HOME photo comp!!

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY

To be eligible for this competition you need to be renting in Queensland. Please send us your photo, name and contact details and where you are renting. By sending your photo to Tenants Queensland, you are consenting to the photo being used publicly by Tenants Queensland, including on the Tenants Queensland website and social media. By sending this photo you confirm that you have consent of any person in the photo for their image to be shared in this way. Any enquiries please contact Cameron at Tenants Queensland – Phone: (07) 3832 9447 – Email: mail@tenantsqld.org.au

Announcing the winner of our photo comp

It’s time to announce the winner of our “Home to me is” photo competition, which Tenants Queensland launched as part of our International Tenant’s Day celebrations in October.

We’d like to thank all entrants for sharing their beautiful images and loving messages of what makes home to you. The reoccurring theme was that home is a special place, to be shared with family, friends, loved ones (in one case a car) and our pets!

After much deliberation, we’re happy to announce the winner is Sarita Silva. This inspiring photo of feeding the cockatoos and galahs on the back deck won over the judges. It’s sense of serenity highlighted the importance of home being a place where people are secure enough to express themselves and do what makes them happy.

Congratulations Sarita, and thanks once again to all who took the time to send in their snaps. Picking a winner amongst the great photos was no easy task!

“Home to me is…….” Send your photos by October 31!

Queensland renters!
Please send your photos by the end of the month to enter our competition.