Legislative Reform Priorities for the Review of the NSW Residential Tenancies Act

• End Unfair ‘No-Grounds’ Evictions by specifying and limiting grounds for eviction and stopping people from being kicked out of their home for no reason.
• Cap Rents by Limiting Rent Increases to once per year. At present there are no restrictions on how often rent can be increased (provided requisite notice is given).
• Regulate to Prevent Rent Increases Beyond CPI. At present there are no restrictions on how much rent can be increased (provided requisite notice is given).
• Improve Flexibility for Tenants in cases of Domestic and Family Violence. The ability to terminate leases without penalties for people who are subject to domestic violence based on evidence from a specified list of professionals.
• Increased Transparency through the creation of Publicly Available Maintenance Logs and Maintenance Reports to address the serious health and safety concerns faced by many people renting and to provide information to potential tenants so that they are aware of any issues prior to entering into a lease arrangement. This log would include all maintenance requests made and work completed.
• Establish rental housing standards, though regulated sustainability, safety, accessability and efficiency measures.
• Allowing tenants to more easily make minor modifications to a property such as installing picture hooks, blinds or reasonable security measures.
• Remove ‘no pets’ clauses from rental agreements. Having pets is both a personal choice and personal responsibility. Wherever possible, people living in rental accommodation should have the same rights as people who have a mortgage or own their own home.
• Improve Management of Tenant’s Bonds and Interest. Increase oversight on landlords making claims on bonds and support tenants to transfer bonds between properties. Interest made on bonds should benefit the tenant, through direct reimbursement and a percentage used for Tenant Advice and Advocacy Services and affordable housing measures.
• Improve Protections for People Living in Sharehouses by ensuring that they have access to legally enforceable protections and rights.