Latest news with #rentersrights
CBC
5 days ago
- General
- CBC
Pop-up clinics look to give free legal advice to renters
New Brunswick's Public Legal Education and Information Service is putting on pop-up legal clinics across the province to help renters who may have trouble affording a lawyer when they're in disputes with landlords
The Independent
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Single mother landed with 20% rent increase calls for rent controls
A single mother whose landlord has increased her rent by 20% is campaigning for a cap on how much landlords can raise rent in the UK. Bridget Chapman, 56, from Darlington in County Durham, who has been a private renter her entire adult life, was given just a month's notice by her landlord when they increased her rent by £100. A recent survey by campaign group Generation Rent revealed that 61% of renters said their landlord had asked them to pay a higher rent in the past 12 months with almost a quarter (24%) reporting an increase of over £100. Ms Chapman said that while she welcomes reforms in the Renters' Rights Bill going through Parliament, they do 'nothing to stop shock rent rises' like her family is currently faced with. The Renters' Rights Bill seeks to introduce an end to no-fault evictions, stopping bidding wars for tenancies, helping tenants challenge unreasonable rent increases and preventing landlords from demanding more than a month's rent in advance from a new tenant. 'I just got so angry that the landlord can raise the rent whenever he wants and give me a month's notice,' Ms Chapman told the PA news agency. 'I'm paying a lot more now and it's having a knock on effect on everything else. 'I'm a single parent, so even though my kids are now adults they're still young and I'm still supporting them. 'I have a very low disposable income so it's really difficult especially since everything else has gone up including gas and electricity.' Ms Chapman, who says she feels 'let down by the system' experienced extreme dampness in her previous home which led her to being rushed to hospital with pneumonia. 'We moved into the property and I've got asthma, so the damp started to creep in,' she said. 'We didn't realise how bad until the mould was literally black. 'The landlord gave me a dehumidifier which literally did nothing. 'Luckily I was okay. I survived, but when I had to recover, I had to go back to the house, which was full of damp and mould.' Ms Chapman hoped her new home which she has been renting for eight years would be better but she now feels she has suffered a 'huge blow' to her security. With rents in her local area being so high, she does not feel she can move to a more affordable option. Ms Chapman launched her petition which has gained over 45,000 signatures on Sunday, as she feels she 'can't do anything else'. 'Doing this petition is my way to make my voice heard,' she said. 'The Government firstly needs to cap rent increases. They also need to look at capping gas and electricity bills. 'Wages are not going up, so people are struggling even more, because they're on the same wage and they pay more money for everything else. 'You get people who are working hard, full-time, and they're having to go to food banks. I think that's so wrong.' Generation Rent says its research shows the 'most common' reason landlords put up rent is not higher costs, but rather to increase their revenue as local rents rise. Almost a third (31%) of landlords blamed higher market rents, while a further 7% stated that the increase was because of letting agent advice. 'This is indefensible. If renters are to finally feel secure in our own homes, we need protections from shock rent rises,' a Generation Rent spokesperson said. 'Private landlords should not be able to raise the rent higher than inflation or wages. The Government can and must act to change this.' A Government spokesperson said: 'Through our Renters' Rights Bill we are taking decisive action to transform the private renting sector for the better and empower tenants to tackle unreasonable rent hikes. 'Alongside this, as part of our Plan for Change we are putting more money in people's pockets by protecting payslips from higher taxes and increasing the minimum wage to deliver pay rises of up to £1,400 a year for millions of low-income workers.'
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Huge changes to impact millions of renters in Australia: What you need to know
Landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants without good cause, marking the end of no-grounds evictions, a reform designed to provide security for millions of renters. The reform came into effect on Monday, alongside two other key changes introduced under the NSW government's latest rental laws. Premier Chris Minns described the changes as significant, saying it brings the 'rental market into the 21st century'. 'These are sensible reforms. With more than two million renters in NSW and over 600,000 investors, we have taken the time to get these major changes right,' he says. The reforms, announced in March, have been labelled a win for the economy, promising better prospects for young workers in one of the world's most expensive cities. Tenants will also be able to apply for a pet, with owners only able to refuse the request for specific reasons, such as the owner living at the property. Approval will be automatic if owners do not respond to pet applications within 21 days. Owners and agents must also provide certain fee-free rent payment methods such as direct bank transfers to renters. Housing minister Rose Jackson believes the reforms are the biggest step forward for renters in a generation. 'These reforms recognise that pets are part of people's families,' she said. 'Renters shouldn't have to choose between a place to live and keeping their companion animal. These changes put common sense into the rental system and end the blanket ban on pets.' Victoria recently passed similar laws in March, which included a complete ban on evictions without a reason. South Australia and the ACT have already banned no-grounds evictions for both periodic and fixed-term tenancies, while Queensland and Tasmania have put a stop to only the latter. Western Australia and the Northern Territory allow no-grounds evictions for all tenancies.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Major rule changes for millions of Aussie renters just days away
For the millions of renters around the country, it's no secret that the market is tough — forcing some Aussies to go to extreme lengths in order to have a roof over their heads. The stress of securing a home then turns into the stress of keeping it, with landlords in NSW allowed to evict a tenant for any reason, or no reason at all. But the good news is major changes are just around the corner, providing the two million renters in the state with some relief. From May 19, new tenancy laws around evictions, pets and payment options will become operational. Late last year, a number of changes were introduced including caps on rental increases and a ban on paying for background checks when applying for a property. Here's what Monday's new rules will mean for you. Currently, landlords can kick out a tenant for any reason as a 'no grounds' eviction. This is legal, as long as they give the required notice period. From May 19 new eviction rules come into play, which will see the controversial 'no grounds' eviction rules scrapped. 'The landlord's ability to evict renters for no reason basically undermines really any other rights renters have, and tenants have been concerned about exerting their rights to repairs and disputing rent increases because in the back of their mind, they know that they could be given a no-grounds notice," Elouise Parrab from the Tenants' Union of New South Wales told Yahoo News. "So these changes will mean that they'll have greater stability and they'll be able to stay in their homes for longer, and also allow them to ask basic things like repairs without having that concern or fear of eviction." She said the change has been "50 years coming" and is a reason for tenants to celebrate. Landlords will need a valid legal reason to evict a tenant, and will even have to provide proof to show the reason is genuine. Reasonable grounds for eviction (as summed up by the Tenants' Union of NSW) Significant renovations/repairs or demolition of the property, that mean you need to move out of the property A change in the use of the property, in situations where the property will no longer be used as a rental The owner or their family intends to move into the property The landlord proposes to sell the property The renter is living in affordable or transitional housing and is not eligible for that housing program anymore The renter is living in purpose-built student housing and is not enrolled as a student anymore The premises are part of NSW Government key worker housing scheme and are needed to house a priority key worker Breach by the tenant (such as non-payment of rent) Sale of premises requiring vacant possession The agreement is an employee or caretaker agreement, and the employment or caretaker arrangement has ended Previously, landlords have been able to refuse pets without a reason, however these rules are also changing. From Monday, tenants will have the right to request permission to keep pets in their home. "It really doesn't seem fair that renters can't make decisions about whether they're going to adopt a pet and have a pet in their family, like people in their own home can make that decision," Ms Parrab said. "It shouldn't just be an arbitrary decision because the landlord doesn't want a pet." Landlords can only refuse within a set list of reasons, and must respond to the request in writing within 21 days or consent will automatically be granted. They are also not allowed to increase the rent or bond due to the animal. If a pet is approved, the landlord has the right to establish conditions around the animal, including cleaning the carpet when vacating the property. Valid reasons for pet refusal include: that allowing the animal would lead to an unreasonable number of animals at the property the property is not suitable for the animal because fencing is inadequate, there is not enough open space or, the property would not allow the animal to be kept humanely, keeping the animal would likely cause damage that would cost more to repair than the rental bond, the landlord lives at the property, keeping the animal would violate a law, regulation, local council order, by-law or community rule, the tenant has not agreed to a reasonable condition proposed by the landlord. From May 19, landlords and agents must provide tenants with a fee-free option to pay rent so they don't incur additional charges. This could include methods like bank transfers and Centrepay. Ms Parrab said there is currently legislation in place to provide at least one fee-free way to pay the rent, but those options were usually limited to paying by cheque — which is largely unused — or by paying in cash at the real estate's office, which involves time and travel. "Now we will have a genuine fee-free and accessible option for renters to pay their rent," Ms Parrab said. Later this year, the Portable Bonds Scheme will come into effect, which will allow tenants to transfer their current bond to a new home, instead of paying a second bond. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Daily Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Telegraph
‘Pet bidding' on rise as renters give up animals to secure homes
Rental pressures have encouraged some Aussies to live without pets. A surge in tenants surrendering their right to keep pets is sparking alarm as renters, under pressure from a brutally competitive housing market, increasingly see pet ownership as a liability they can't afford. As vacancy rates plunge and recent tenancy reforms in NW shake investor confidence, a disturbing trend has emerged: renters offering to forgo pets altogether just to improve their chances of securing a lease. Industry leaders are warning that so-called 'pet bidding' — tenants voluntarily giving up their legal right to keep animals — is accelerating a silent but devastating decline in pet ownership among renters, especially in NSW. 'With extremely tight rental vacancies at the moment, tenants continue to offer to pay over-and-above the advertised rent, and the so-called ban on rent bidding has had no impact,' said Tim McKibbin, CEO of the Real Estate Institute of NSW. MORE: Sydney suburbs with worst tenants revealed Pet bidding is where tenants give up their rights to have pets in the hope it will make their tenancy application more competitive. MORE: John Howard's hidden homes shame 'Now, we're seeing tenants offer to give up their right to have pets — even though the law entitles them to up to four.' The law, introduced as part of a raft of reforms to improve tenant protections, was meant to mirror changes made in Victoria. Under the legislation, landlords must accept up to four pets per tenancy unless they obtain formal approval to refuse. But as demand continues to outstrip supply, tenants are pre-emptively waiving these rights, hoping that the promise of a pet-free tenancy will sway landlords in their favour, Mr McKibbin reported. MORE: Bizarre feature of Hemsworth's $50m Byron Bay home REINSW CEO Tim McKibbin. According to REINSW, while lease agreements cannot legally strip away pet rights, tenants are now submitting written statements with their applications saying, 'I will not apply to have pets, as is my right'. 'This would presumably occur in two ways,' Mr McKibbin said. 'By foregoing the right to have four pets, and reducing that to three or less. Or by foregoing their right to have a pet entirely.' There are now growing concerns that housing insecurity is making it nearly impossible for would-be pet owners to adopt, while existing pet owners are increasingly being forced to choose between housing and their animals. Critics say the problem is worsened by landlord regulations that, while well-intentioned, have pushed investors out of the market. MORE: What homes will be worth in each suburb by 2030 Long lines at rental inspection are still common in some areas: pressuring tenants to resort to extremes to secure rentals. Picture: Sam Ruttyn This has reduced the supply of rentals, pressuring many tenants to extreme measures like giving up pets to compete for the scant supply of available homes. Mr McKibbin pointed to Victoria as an example of how increased regulations were driving out landlords. The state has had a raft of 'anti-landlord' laws in place since 2020 that, while intended to support tenants, have made it more difficult for investors to keep their properties, Mr McKibbin said. Victorian government data showed that the top reason for no-fault evictions across the state in 2023–24 was property sales — in 53 per cent of cases — as landlords exited a more regulated market. 'We are already seeing tenants going to extra lengths as they are faced with fewer options. Who knows what other new and desperate measures tenants will be forced to take?'
