Renting in Australia isn\u2019t the same everywhere\u2014at least, that\u2019s what a new report has found. Two years after a big promise to improve renters\u2019 rights, it turns out progress is patchy at best. Some states are leading the charge, while others are stuck in neutral. So, where are renters treated the best\u2014and where do they have it worst?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A new report card, released by the National Association of Renters’ Organisations (NARO<\/a>) and National Shelter, gives us a snapshot of how states and territories are holding up on the rental reforms pledged in 2023. Unfortunately, the results show that while some areas have made strides, others have left renters hanging. You\u2019d think that after a national commitment, things would be moving forward uniformly, but\u2014plot twist\u2014it really depends on your postcode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s start with the good news. Victoria\u2019s been the star pupil. The state\u2019s made a real effort to adopt a range of reforms\u2014seven, to be exact. This includes pushing forward on energy efficiency standards for rental properties (something that\u2019s been long overdue). It\u2019s not just the big-ticket items; Victoria\u2019s also setting the bar on making life easier for renters in a variety of smaller but meaningful ways. For example, tenants now have more protections around personal data when they apply for a rental.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NSW<\/a> and the ACT are not too far behind, each making significant strides. Both have tackled some tricky issues, like limiting how often rent can be increased. The ACT has gone even further, introducing a cap on how much landlords can hike rent, which is a huge win for renters who\u2019ve been hit with unpredictable rent rises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But here\u2019s where things get murky. Over in the Northern Territory, things are still grim. Renters can face rent increases every six months, which puts them at the mercy of landlords. No new policies to fix this have been introduced, and that’s left many feeling exposed. Similarly, Western Australia is lagging behind in many areas. The state has made little progress on key issues like no-grounds evictions and minimum rental standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other states, like Tasmania and Queensland, are somewhere in the middle. They’ve made progress in some areas, like limiting lease break fees and introducing protections for domestic violence victims. But there\u2019s still a lot of ground to cover before renters can enjoy consistent, fair treatment across the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what\u2019s still on the table? For starters, no-grounds evictions are still an issue. While half of the jurisdictions have made strides to tackle this, it\u2019s still legal in many areas. Rent increases also remain a sticking point. While some states have implemented limits, others, like the Northern Territory, are still stuck with the old, outdated system of allowing rent hikes every six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But perhaps the biggest disappointment has been the lack of progress on minimum rental standards. Only Victoria has made significant headway here with new energy efficiency rules. Elsewhere, it\u2019s been a bit of a standstill. This is where renters are really feeling the pinch, as many are still dealing with properties<\/a> that aren\u2019t up to scratch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A new report shows uneven progress in renting rights across Australia, with some states making strides while others still lag behind in crucial reforms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":106081,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-housing","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106080"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106100,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106080\/revisions\/106100"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Renting in Victoria: A Step Ahead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Bad News: Northern Territory and WA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s Still Left to Do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n