Latest news with #TenantsVictoria
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Landlord's shock admission lands Aussie tenants in rental nightmare
An Aussie tenant claims they and their flatmate have been 'held hostage' by their landlord after forking out a year's rent in advance. The renters from Victoria, who shared their story anonymously on Facebook group Don't Rent Me are now in a difficult position after the landlord advised they want to sell up. Before signing the lease, the landlord assured the tenants they had no intentions of selling the property in the next year but subsequently had a change of heart four months in. The median rent for a house is $580 per week in Melbourne, which is more than $30,000 a year. 'After paying 12 months' rent in advance, my landlord notified us of her intention to sell the property,' the renter fumed. The renters told the landlord they couldn't remain as tenants during the sales process and requested a refund of the unused rent before issuing a vacate notice with more than a month's notice. 'We both work demanding jobs, we work from home, I have an auto immune disease while treating it with immune suppressant which can cause complications if exposed to germs and so constant inspections would disrupt our lives and health,' they said. The renter said the landlord told them she 'didn't have the funds' and would only be reimbursed the remaining rent until after the property was sold. Inspections were initially paused on the property but when the landlord began 'pushing' for them again, the tenants refused. The ongoing dispute has caused 'severe emotional and physical distress' for the tenants. 'All I want is to move, secure a property, and get on with my life. But instead, I feel held hostage in a home I've already overpaid for,' they added. 'I've done everything right. I paid up front. I gave notice. I was respectful and patient. Why am I being punished for that? This is not just unfair, it's inhumane.' Aussies commented on the post urging the tent to seek advice from Consumer Affairs Victoria (CVA) and Tenants Victoria. Others suggested escalating the dispute to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). 'I'd apply for an emergency hearing at your state-based tribunal, asking for your rent to be returned within a fair notice period for both parties (60 days?) and one inspection per month within that time, given your health concerns,' one wrote. 'Offering a reasonable option will make it more likely to be found in your favour.' A real estate property manager added: 'The agent should've advised against the [tenant] doing this […] Very poor form of the agency. While the agency does work for the owner, they have a duty of care to the tenant and an ethical responsibility.' Landlords can't ask for more than one month's rent in advance in Victoria if the rent is less than $900 per week. There is no limit on how much rent tenants can voluntarily pay in advance. Victorian rents can usually end a fixed-term agreement early if the owner is selling up but need to give at least 14 days notice. Landlords can conduct no more than two one hour sales inspections a week while the property is tenanted and must give written notice. Tenants cannot refuse entry for sales inspections if the correct process has been followed.
The Guardian
30-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
‘Brutal rental market' sees spike in number of Victorian tenants evicted because they can't make payments
The number of Victorian renters receiving eviction notices because they have not paid the rent is five times higher than in 2021, a report has found, underscoring tenants' increasing struggles to keep up with the cost of living. The report from the state's commissioner for residential tenancies, released on Tuesday, also found that 58% of rental households had received a rent increase in the 12 months to September 2023, up from 29.8% in the previous 12 months. The findings led Tenants Victoria to call for a 'rental fairness formula' to curtail excessive rises in rents, and for more support for renters facing 'brutal rental market conditions'. Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter Commissioner Heather Holst's report used data from the census, government and welfare agencies, and community legal services including Tenants Victoria, to identify continuing and worsening trends in the state's rental market. Significantly more renters were receiving notices to vacate than in 2021, with an average of nearly 2,000 notices to vacate issued every week in the 2023-2024 financial year. Nonpayment of rent made up 95% of at-fault notices – with a fivefold increase in notices issued for this reason – while the landlord selling was the primary reason for more than half of the no-fault notices. Affordability is at its lowest point in more than decade, having consistently declined in metropolitan and regional areas over the past two years, the report found. Almost all rentals remained unaffordable for jobseekers and others on government support payments. The market had also tightened over the past couple of years, with a 2% vacancy rate in greater Melbourne – a rate comparable to five years ago – after spiking at more than 6% in the metropolitan areas during the pandemic, the report showed. Sign up to Afternoon Update: Election 2025 Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key election campaign stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion While the Victorian government passed laws in 2020 prohibiting landlords from refusing renters' requests to keep a pet, the Lost Dog's Home reported the second most common reason for pets being surrendered was due to landlord restrictions, and that this had increased 47% since 2021. While there was no data on renter pet ownership available, the commissioner's report said, many renters felt having a pet reduced their chances of securing a rental property. Historically low vacancy rates and rapidly escalating rents were a continuing issue for renters in the private market, and consequently there were 'consistent reports' of substandard properties for rent. Holst said she was 'heartened', however, by the Victorian government's recent establishment of a rental taskforce to investigate substandard dwellings. Jennifer Beveridge, chief executive of Tenants Victoria, said demand for advocacy and advice from services such as theirs had increased but funding constraints meant they could only answer one in five calls for help. 'Renters are really feeling the financial strain. They tell us about the dreadful choices that they have to make: going without food, without heating, kids' supplies, haircuts, and shoes. The constant need to make these choices makes it tough,' Beveridge said. The Victorian government had 'done a lot to improve renting in Victoria' but 'much more attention is needed to address the worst housing crisis in living memory', Beveridge said. 'It's clear that we need a rental fairness formula to guide the setting of reasonable rent increases. We don't want to ever again see the runaway rent increases of the past few years.' The Victorian government was contacted for comment.
