The Australian Capital Territory has become the first Australian jurisdiction to remove all forms of tenancy termination involving rented properties without a legitimate cause.
Welcoming the passage of rental reforms, Attorney‑General Shane Rattenbury said the changes would give tenants greater security as they would no longer need to fear being evicted without reason.
“It’s important that people who rent feel like their house is a home,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“Rental conditions in the ACT are already very challenging, with rising rents and limited supply.”
He said that under the reforms, no cause evictions would be removed from the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 from 1 April.
Mr Rattenbury said that in a nation-leading move, the ACT Government also made an important change that eliminated ‘end of fixed term tenancy terminations’.
“Ending this type of eviction practice means that renters cannot be kicked out of their homes without reason simply because their lease has expired,” the Attorney General said.
“This means that the ACT will become the first jurisdiction to put an end to evictions without cause altogether,” he said.
“These laws remain balanced by still recognising that landlords will at times need to end tenancies for genuine reasons, such as selling the property, or when a tenant breaches the agreement.”
Mr Rattenbury said that in addition to the removal of ‘no cause’ evictions, several other rental reforms would also come into effect, including: Prohibiting landlords and agents from asking for or encouraging rent bids; Allowing tenants greater freedom to grow their own food and to compost; and Creating a framework to support the future introduction of minimum housing standards for rental properties.
He said landlords would now be required to notify prospective tenants about whether a property met minimum standards.
“If a property doesn’t meet a minimum housing standard, tenants will be allowed to seek a rent reduction, compensation or end the tenancy,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“The law will also now give landlords a right to access the rental property if they need to upgrade it to meet a minimum standard,” the Minister said.
