Updates
House of 'Lords: Landlords and Tenants in the Legislative Assembly
When politicians make decisions, what experiences do they bring to bear? This report considers the experiences of ACT Members of the Legislative Assembly when it comes to tenure and property investment, contrasting Members with the broader ACT population. It finds that renters are underrepresented and that landlords are over-represented in the Legislative Assembly. This helps us to understand which perspectives are likely influencing decisions in the parliament.
The full report can be downloaded here. Findings are below in table form.
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"I'm OK Right Now": Angela's Story
Story and illustration by Gillian Schwab.
I call Angela at 11am on Tuesday morning. She's sharing a house with a woman and her adult son in Robina, Queensland. The son is in his room, and Angela is outside painting Christmas ornaments for her sister. They have to be exactly the right colour as her sister is very particular about these things, Angela says. She's immediately friendly and very likeable, and right away admits she's made some bad decisions. She says the past few years have been awful.
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ACT Bond Loans Scheme Now Even Better
Changes in the ACT mean it's now easier for renters to get a loan for their bond, helping people to secure a tenancy in the private rental sector.
Read moreSubmission for Queensland Open Doors to Rental Reform
Better Renting made a submission in late 2018 to the Queensland Goverment's consultation as part of its 'Open Doors to Renting Reform' process.
You can download our submission in pdf or word document format.
Rental reforms are a small positive step
Tenant organisation Better Renting has welcomed proposed changes to ACT renting laws and questioned the motives of opponents.
Better Renting is part of the Make Renting Fair CBR Alliance, which has been campaigning for an end to “unfair evictions”, a fairer system for rent increases, and minimum standards for rental properties. They say that proposed rental reforms – introduced in the ACT Assembly on Thursday 1 November – are a good first step.
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Who’d a thunk it: rental regulations can co-exist with a healthy rental sector
Recently, the ACT Government announced a plan to introduce measures to make life marginally better for people who rent. While there isn’t much detail yet, changes would include:
- A right to have pets,
- More rights to make minor modifications, &
- A requirement on landlords to justify excessive rent increases.
These changes are modest. All the same, property management types have pulled out the same tired playbook and argued that making renting fairer will bring about the end of times, returning all of humanity to a struggle for survival in which life is nasty, brutish, and short.
Read moreA big week in renting
It has been a big week for rental campaigning in Australia:
- A Greens MP from Queensland has called for an end to unfair evictions and a 1% cap on rental increases.
- On Wednesday, the NSW Parliament passed changes to NSW tenancy law. The changes don’t go far enough, but they are something.
- In the ACT, a Greens MLA has proposed that certain minor modifications shouldn’t require landlord consent; a round of government reforms is expected in the next fortnight.
- And WA’s parliament is moving to keep children safe in rental properties.
Wow. You’d almost be forgiven for thinking that the balance has swung too far in the other direction.
Hahahahahahahhahaha.
Read moreThe meaning of home
In Australia, the meaning of home is often linked to ownership. To make a home, we must first own it. But what if you don’t own your home? What if you rent?
Read moreBetter Renting Submission Re: Treasury Laws Amendment (Improving the Energy Efficiency of Rental Properties) Bill 2018
Better Renting made a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications, regarding "Treasury Laws Amendment (Improving the Energy Efficiency of Rental Properties) Bill 2018.
Our submission is available here. All submissions can be viewed and downloaded here.
Melbourne Renters Facebook group!
We've just launched a Facebook group for people who rent in Melbourne. You can join it here.
Read morePeople who rent deserve homes
My older sister owns a house. Whenever I visit, I’m struck by how nice it is to own a home. She and her husband have made upgrades. They’ve started a garden. When they recently had a son, they could readily make modifications to make the house safer and more comfortable for their baby.
I have this yearning too – to be able to make a place my own. To have a home, to make it an expression of who I am, to put down roots in a community.
It’s not uncommon for people like me, who rent, to harbour such desires. In our current system, you’d be mad to want to be a renter forever. But is it ownership that renters are after? Or just decent homes?
Read moreFrozen out: The Burden of Energy Deficiency on People who Rent
Rental properties are ‘energy deficient’: the lack of energy efficiency places a burden on renters in the form of increased energy expenditure or harmful indoor temperatures. This report estimates the monetary value of this burden by calculating the worth of the thermal energy that energy deficient rental properties lack. Drawing upon six years of real estate data, we calculate the annual burden of energy deficiency in the ACT to be $39 million. The burden is particularly heavy for vulnerable renters, such as those on a low-income or living with disability. This analysis strengthens the arguments for minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties.
Read moreRenters need collective solutions
New players in the private rental sector claim to make things better for renters. In reality, they benefit certain renters at the expense of others. What we really need are structural solutions.
Read moreMedia release: Renters welcome Government caution on commercial guarantees
Renters rights organisation Better Renting has come out in support of the ACT Government’s move to delay commercial guarantees, just days after regulations came into effect to allow their operation.
Joel Dignam, Director of Better Renting, welcomed the decision. “We’ve been hearing from renters concerned about facing additional costs just to secure a roof over their head. We applaud the Government’s responsiveness to community concern on this issue.”
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What do you think about ‘bond guarantees’?
From 7 May 2018, landlords in the ACT now have the option to ask for a ‘bond guarantee’ instead of a bond. This change might take you by surprise, and it’s not exactly clear what it will mean for peolpe who rent. We want to provide an update on what’s coming and hear your views or concerns.
Read moreFour in ten Canberra rentals score worst energy efficiency rating
More than four in ten Canberra rental properties have the lowest-possible energy efficiency rating of zero, according to a new report released today.
The report by new renter organisation Better Renting compared advertised Energy Efficiency Ratings for properties for sale and for rent through January and February. It found that 43% of rated rental properties had a rating of 0, compared with just 4% of properties for sale.
Read moreMedia Release: New renters' organisation calls for action as UK rental standards come into effect
A new renters advocacy organisation in the ACT is calling for minimum rental standards as new laws come into effect in the UK requiring rental properties to meet minimum energy efficiency standards.
Read moreBetter Renting submission on 'Housing Choices'
Planning decisions in the ACT will affect housing affordability and quality of life for renters and other citizens. Better Renting made a submission to the recent 'Housing Choices' inquiry to contribute to the planning conversation in the ACT. Our submission can be downloaded here.
A glimpse of renting in Australia
In just this last week, we've heard stories from renters that give a grim picture of what renting is like for renters in Australia today, covering issues of bond-theft, energy-inefficiency, homelessness, and negligence.
Read moreThe start of 'Better Renting'
Welcome to Better Renting - a community of renters working together for the homes we deserve. Better Renting has grown out of Comfy Homes - a campaign for minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties.
Read moreDerelict properties are harming the health of renters
A 2016 journal article on housing and health data in Australia confirms what many renters probably know from experience: that Australian renters live in properties that are in worse condition, and this is bad for their health.
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A big year for renters
By Joel Dignam, Executive Director
As 2018 draws to a close, it's worth reflecting on what we've achieved and what's changing around Australia to help renters have stable, affordable, liveable homes.
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