The state government has agreed to review the Residential Tenancy Act, but is dismayed that so far there has been little input from renters and their associations.
The majority of the submissions have come from strata managers and real estate agents - and they view the rental laws from an entirely different perspective !
The Residential Tenancy Act has not been changed for over twenty years, but in that time there have been major movements in the market place.
The surge in home prices in recent times caused many to invest in residential property and place that property on the rental market while awaiting a possible future capital gain.
Tenants who have the security of a signed lease have been dismayed to find the Sheriff at their door, demanding that they vacate in a matter of days.
This happens when the owner defaults on a mortgage and the mortagee files for immediate repossession. In such cases, the default laws take precedence over any lease in place - and the renter is the loser.
This anomaly needs legal clarification - and at the same time it would be a good idea to cleanup the " black list " that applies to so called " bad tenants ".
Once a tenant is named on the " black list " the chances of renting diminish to zero - and yet the rules for declaring a tenant " bad " seem to be entirely at the discretion of the landlord or the landlord's agent.
There have been cases when such listings has been malicious and unfounded, and yet the procedure for removal is vague and without teeth.
An opportunity now exists to bring the act up to date. It would be a shame if apathy prevented progress because the vast array of people renting failed to make their case.
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