Renters deserve a better deal

AMID debate about health, the economy and the pokies it should not be forgotten that 54,000 Tasmanian households rent, and the number is increasing.

With the election campaign under way, we have identified seven areas of reform which will greatly improve housing conditions for renters and should be supported in political election platforms.

Secure housing: Many of us take the security of a roof over our heads for granted. For renters, this security is usually only guaranteed for 12 months, resulting in a culture of fear that the request for repairs or challenging rent increases as unreasonable will be met with eviction. But it does not have to be this way, with much of Western Europe mandating that renters can only be evicted from their homes where there has been a breach or where some other good reason exists.

Fairer Rent: Rents for threebedroom properties in greater Hobart have increased 23 per cent in the last 12 months. Yet the response from all political parties has been to focus on increasing rates of home ownership rather than on making rent fairer. A good rent control model is found in our nation’s capital where rent increases are limited to a rate based only slightly higher than inflation. If the proposed increase is above the proscribed rate the landlord has the onus of establishing that the increase is justified, and if below, the renter must demonstrate that the increase is excessive.

Family Violence: Altering lease agreements in instances of family violence is another issue in need of reform. Currently, the only order able to be made is that a victim of family violence can have the perpetrator removed from the lease agreement. In practice, such an order will often mean that the victim is forced to pay all of the rent and continue to live in a property known

to the perpetrator. A broader range of orders that would allow the lease agreement to be terminated or allow the victim or perpetrator to remain in the property is an easy reform that should have tri-partisan support. Standard Forms and Lease

Agreements: We often hear renters’ concerns at the various forms used by landlords and real estate agents. Application forms provided to prospective tenants were the subject of a recent report which found that 60 per cent of renters surveyed believed that they were required to provide an excessive amount of information. As well, breach notices provided by many real estate agencies do not make clear that renters can usually rectify the breach, resulting in some tenants being evicted in circumstances where clarification could have saved their tenancy. To ensure consistency and fairness we call on the introduction of a standard residential lease agreement as well as standard forms.

Pets: Tasmania’s rental law states a tenant is not allowed to have a pet without the landlord’s permission. In practice, most lease agreements include a no-pets clause meaning that the landlord does not have to give any thought to the tenant’s request for a furry friend. As a result, many tenants with pets are forced to look for rental accommodation in areas less accessible by public transport or to surrender their pet. The RSPCA recently reported that 15 per cent of all cats and dogs turned into them had to be abandoned because their owners were moving and could not take their pets with them. We call for reform so renters have the ability to have a pet unless the landlord has reasonable grounds for their exclusion.

Airbnb: Airbnb and other socalled sharing accommodation businesses should be regulated. Despite the perception of Airbnb as the sharing of an extra bed or bedroom, data released by the University of Tasmania’s Institute for the Study of Social Change found 78 per cent of properties made available in Hobart are offered as entire homes and 44 per cent are advertised for more than 10 months of the year suggesting housing supply for longterm tenants may have reduced. There should be a limit on the number of days an entire house/unit can be rented out through Airbnb.

Tenant Advocacy: Finally, we call for appropriate levels of funding to be provided to organisations advocating on behalf of tenants, including our own. Core funding has not increased in many years despite the significant growth in the number of tenants advised through telephone advice, face-to-face and in providing court representation. There is also no funding certainty with funding contracts only provided on a 12month basis. Service delivery could also be significantly improved with the opening of a dedicated northern office.

These are the reforms that will put renters on a more level playing field and ensure that whether you own your home or not, everyone deserves the right to a safe, secure and affordable home.

Security is usually only guaranteed for 12 months, resulting in a culture of fear that a request for repairs or challenging rent increases as unreasonable will be met with eviction.