All updates
Discussing unhealthy mould with ABC Canberra
We spoke with ABC Canberra about the issue of mould in rental properties.
Cold, mould, and damp are present in a lot of Australian homes, and they can have serious health effects.
These issues can be addressed through minimum standards for rental properties, including ventilation, and stronger regulation.
If you want to see healthier, decent rental homes, please sign our campaign petition for Healthy Homes for Renters.
The Path of Lease Resistance
The ACT is the only jurisdiction in Australia that allows landlords to contract out of their legal obligations, according to a new report out today from tenant advocacy group Better Renting.
The report, The Path of Lease Resistance, highlights that ACT law allows landlords to add terms to a lease even if the terms are inconsistent with the standard terms of a tenancy. It finds that this mechanism is poorly understood and often abused, which means that some renters miss out on legal protections. In one example in the report, an additional term might specify that a tenant is responsible for replacing broken glass, even where this would otherwise be the lessor’s responsibility.
You can download the report here in pdf format.
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Better Renting Impact Report 2018-2020
Better Renting was officially registered on 5 April 2018. Over the last three years, we're proud to have worked with renters to take a stand on the issues that affect us and contribute to changing the conversation and the laws around renting, across Australia. Our 2018-2020 Impact Report commemorates and celebrates everything our community has achieved over this time.
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Better Renting on ABC Tasmania
On Thursday 19 March 2021, Better Renting Executive Director Joel Dignam spoke with ABC Tasmania to refute false arguments against rental reform.
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'Til debt do us part: a fair solution to prevent Covid evictions
As eviction moratoriums are lifted across Australia, hundreds of thousands of renters could lose their homes in a wave of ‘Covid evictions’.
Covid-19 caused a very uneven recession. Low-income households and people in insecure work faced worse impacts than others. In addition, they had less financial resilience to begin with. Many of these people rent their homes.
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Report: "Pet peeves: how landlords are denying renters the benefits of pets"
As the numbers of renters in Australia has grown, so too has the push for changes to rental laws, including around pets. This report considers the current situation for renters in Australia, reviewing data on the situation facing renters with or without pets, and the possible implications for renters and lessors. We find that 44% of renter households have pets but only 8% of SA rental properties explicitly welcome pets. In addition, we identify significant variation across different agencies, suggesting that landlord preferences are not a determining factor.
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Out of the woods? How the QLD Government failed renters during Covid-19
The Queensland (QLD) Government recently decided to end protections that it had provided to renters for Covid-19. This is a bold move considering that the pandemic and its fallout are far from over. As the threat of Covid-19 emerged, community organisations from across Australia called for urgent action from Australian governments to protect renters, proposing five measures for state and territory governments to implement. This report evaluates the QLD Government’s pandemic response against those measures, and it considers what the future holds for Queensland renters.
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Let down: how has the ACT Government supported renters during COVDI-19?
A recent national statement by community organisations from across Australia called for urgent action from Australian governments to protect renters during this crisis, proposing five measures for state and territory governments to implement. This report evaluates the ACT Government response to the COVID-19 pandemic against those measures. Despite some positive steps, the ACT Government is failing to provide renters with secure homes during a worldwide pandemic in which housing is a primary defence against the spread of infection.
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Rent due: renting and stress during COVID-19
In May-June 2020, Better Renting surveyed almost 1000 renters across Australia to ask about their experiences of renting during COVID-19.
- Over three in five renters (63%) reported losing household income due to the coronavirus crisis.
- Of renters who lost income, only one in two (50%) asked for a rent reduction.
- Of renters who lost income, less than one in ten (9%) got a satisfactory rent reduction.
Blower Door Home Visit
Jon is an architecture student who rents in Canberra. As part of ‘Home Truths’, Better Renting worked with Jon and his housemates to measure the air leakage of his home and implement quick, cheap, and easy improvements. In this post, Jon reflects on the experience.
I’m a renter in a period of rising electricity costs and increased awareness of the value of living sustainably. So it’s often frustrating to know that it’s my landlord who controls the factors that influence how much heating or cooling my home needs.
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Where did things stand before coronavirus?
By Joel Dignam, Executive Director, Better Renting.
Coronavirus has changed everything for renters and landlords. In a matter of weeks, a huge number of people have lost work. Renters were particularly affected, as they were more likely to be in insecure employment. Property investors had to face the possibility that their reliable income stream, derived from the waged labour of renters, might be drying up.
In a number of blog posts, I hope to consider the immediate government response but also what we need to see in the medium and longer-term. But as context, this post is a foreword of sorts, considering where renters and the property market stood before the onset of coronavirus.
Read moreStop evictions to limit coronavirus: Better Renting
Better Renting is calling on state and territory governments to protect public health and stop evictions during the COVID19 pandemic.
Better Renting Executive Director, Joel Dignam, said that the unprecedented situation meant new measures were needed to help renters keep their homes.
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Report: "Home-Baked: Housing, Heat, and Health"
Renters are four times more likely than homeowners to struggle with the summer heat, according to a new report from tenant organisation Better Renting.
Read moreSubmission: Share House Reform in ACT
The ACT Government recently proposed a Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill 2019 (No 2) including changes to occupancy agreements and share housing.
Read moreSubmission: Queensland Better Renting Futures
Better Renting made a submission regarding Queensland's proposed updates to rental legislation.
The submission covered:
- Minimum housing standards,
- Renting with pets,
- Ending tenancies fairly,
- Minor modifications, and
- Domestic and family violence.
You can download the submission in pdf or word document format.
Submission: Victorian Rental Regulations
Better Renting made a submission regarding Victoria's proposed Residential Tenancies Regulations 2020.
The submission responded primarily to minimum standards for rental housing, and also proposed prescribed questions in the application process.
You can download the submission in pdf or word document format.
Queensland does the minimum on rental standards
Update November 2023: Although this post is now four years old, it's still unfortunately the case that there are no minimum energy efficiency standards for rentals in Queensland.
When it comes to standards for rental properties, it safe to say that the Queensland Government proposes to do the minimum. Before we get into the detail of what is proposed and what is lacking, let’s pause and understand why minimum standards matter.
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Queensland pet reforms leave renters at risk
Ah, pets! That most heartfelt of topics for both renters and landlords alike. For renters, reform would make it easier to feel at home, to stay healthy, and to keep beloved pets as pet of the family. For some landlords, reform would make it harder to arbitrarily exploit their privileged position to impose their prejudices on the less fortunate.
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Queensland the real MVP on unfair evictions
Currently, unfair evictions keep many renters on edge. All over Australia, people who rent worry about requesting repairs or exercising their rights because they are worried about getting a notice in the mail saying that they’re going to have to move out - with no justification provided.
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Pet Hates: Lessor Pet Sentiment and the 'Agent Effect'
People who rent and own pets must overcome hurdles to securing housing. Many properties prohibit pets, and pet owners may be at a competitive disadvantage even when applying for properties that putatively accept pets. With new rental laws around pet ownership coming into effect in the ACT, we analysed the sentiment towards pet ownership from twelve months of rental advertisements from the territory. Our analysis demonstrates the opacity of the rental market for
people who rent with pets, as well as a notable ‘agent effect’, suggesting that anti-pet positions in rental advertisements do not necessarily reflect lessor preferences.
Media release: Better Renting welcomes ACT Government commitment to minimum energy performance requirements for rental properties
Renter organisation Better Renting has welcomed the new ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-25, released today, which includes a commitment to minimum energy performance requirements for rental properties.
Read moreKat's Story Part 2: "I'm almost in pain from the cold all the time."
This is Kat's Story Part 2. Click here to read Kat's Story Part 1: "This is the coldest house I’ve ever lived in."
I ask Kat what it's been like to live here in winter. She describes a life organised around efforts to keep warm.
"I'm almost in pain from the cold all the time."
"When my hands are really cold, I can't turn things on. I'm always worried I might cut myself or something because I lose a bit of feeling in my hands when it’s that cold."
Kat's Story Part 1: "This is the coldest house I’ve ever lived in."
Story and illustration by Anna Dennis, Home Truths Coordinator.
Sitting with me in front of two electric heaters, Kat tells me, "I’m cold all the time."
Read moreKat's Story Part 3: her landlord might get annoyed
This is Kat's Story Part 3. Click here to read Part 1, or Part 2.
Kat wonders whether it would even be legal to expect people to live like this in other parts of the world. In Europe, she says, "it would be unbelievable to have a house like this without double or even triple glazing, even in old buildings. You have rights."
Read moreKat's Story Part 4: making a house a home
This is Kat's Story Part 4. Click here to read Part 1, Part 2,or Part 3.
I catch up with Kat a couple of weeks later. After my visit, she finished all the projects we started and used all the DIY materials I left her with. She even went out and bought more materials from Bunnings to make sure all the gaps and draughts in her house were sealed up.
Read moreSubmission to South Australia Housing Strategy
In our submission to the Housing and Homelessness Strategy for South Australia we argued for improvements to rental conditions in order to improve housing outcomes for people who rent their homes.
You can download our submission in pdf or word document format.
Unsafe as Houses: Cold-housing deaths in the ACT
This report estimates the annual number of cold-related deaths in the ACT caused by low-quality housing. By comparing temperature data with statistics on monthly deaths for the period 2009-17, we estimate annual cold-related mortality at 140 deaths, based on current population. Conservatively, we attribute 30% of these deaths to cold housing, indicating that 42 cold weather deaths are linked to cold housing in particular. The people most affected are low-income renters aged 65 and above.
Read moreBaby it’s Cold Inside: Energy Efficiency Ratings in the ACT
Rental properties are almost ten times more likely than properties for sale to have the minimum energy efficiency rating, according to a new report from advocacy organisation Better Renting.
The report reviewed over 19,000 real estate advertisements and found that over two in five rental property energy efficiency ratings were 0, compared to less than one in twenty ratings for properties for sale. The report builds upon a similar analysis conducted by Better Renting in April of 2018, which reviewed a smaller number of advertisements.
Read moreWinter Energy Efficiency Guide for Renters
Through Home Truths, Better Renting has released an "Energy Efficiency Guide for Renters" We are launching this guide in draft form, in response to growing demand from a community of renters looking to improve their comfort and warmth at home this winter.
Read moreTenant Talks Report
Today Better Renting is launching our 'Tenant Talks' report, which uses renters' own words to highlight the challenges facing Canberra renters and the need for further changes to ACT rental laws.
The report is made up of quotes from Canberra renters commenting on the topics of stability, affordability, and liveability. Feedback from renters was recorded from a series of ‘Tenant Talks’ events held last year in renters’ homes, in a model adapted from the Victorian Women’s Trust.
The report includes what renters like about renting, such as “flexibility”, “community”, and “lifestyle”, while also discussing challenges facing renters. In the report, renters describe challenges with insecurity, expensive housing, and low-quality homes “like swiss cheese”, that make them sick in winter.
Introducing: 'Home Truths'
People who rent deserve homes which are comfortable, healthy and affordable.
Everyone should easily be able to heat their homes in winter and cool them in summer. We all deserve a comfortable, safe haven to come home to at the end of the day.
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The Rub on Unfair Evictions
“Unfair evictions” are in the crosshairs all over Australia. The Victorian government has restricted them. NSW Labor has committed to banning them. In SA, ACT, and Queensland, there are moves to end the practice.
With this going on, it’s worth taking the time to understand what “unfair evictions” are and the other ways in which a tenancy can end. Lo and behold, this handy flowchart: your basic guide to how leases end in Australia.
Read moreResponse to Mark Parton MLA
Better Renting is a not-for-profit registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. All of our advocacy is done in pursuit of our aims, and we do not support any political party.
Read moreHouse 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.
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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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