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Tenants' Union news

Also check out our blog, Tenant News archive, media appearances, and Housing News Digest.
For factsheets and sample letters, please see Tenancy info.

 

Banning rent bidding: what do the new protections do?

graphic of an auctioneer's hammer
You have likely heard the NSW Government this week signed off on changes to introduce new protections against rent bidding. These will come into effect for any new listings from this Saturday, 17 December.

What is rent bidding? What are the new protections against rent bidding? Will the new protections be effective?
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Pets & renting: what does the community have to say?

Sonny the renting Chihuahua
The NSW Government has just closed a 6-week consultation on keeping pets in rental homes. In addition to the Tenants' Union's policy submission, we created a Make Renting Fair campaign community submission, highlighting the lived experiences of renters all across NSW. 
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Improving renting laws for people experiencing domestic violence

simple icon of a house breaking apart through the roof and wall
The Government is currently undertaking a statutory review of the domestic violence provisions. Along with Women's Legal Service NSW and Domestic Violence NSW undertook a survey to help us identify and evidence key concerns and inform our recommendations to the review. Our submission draws on these survey results, along with the experience of advocates from the statewide network of Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Services who provide support to renters to use the domestic violence provisions within the Residential Tenancies Act.
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Standing Strong – Tenant Advocates Conference

Tenant Advocates
In November 2022 almost 100 Tenant Advocates and guests gathered on Yuin Country for our Annual Conference. The theme of the conference this year was "Standing Strong" – in reference to the work Tenant Advocates do supporting tenants, especially through tough times like the last few years. 
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Electricity is a hot topic but little has changed for residents in land lease communities

Electricity "mushroom"
There have been a number of consultations, reviews and inquiries into electricity in NSW over the past couple of years. The Tenants’ Union provided submissions to a number of these inquiries raising the numerous issues that are impacting renters in NSW around electricity. 
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Margaret Reckless faces further challenges

Older women standing in front of pod village
The Tenants’ Union of NSW has been following and supporting Margaret Reckless' fight for her rights in the residential land lease community she has lived in for the past six years. Over that time she has had some great wins which have led to positive outcomes for many other residents living in land lease communities across NSW
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Research: Northern Rivers floods expose flaws in NSW housing system

Houses under brown water due to floods, Lismore 2022
As flooding impacts more NSW communities, new research from UNSW City Futures Research Centre, jointly commissioned by the Tenants' Union of NSW along with Mission Australia, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW, Social Futures, The Salvation Army Australia, Australian Red Cross shows action needs to be taken to safeguard regional Australians against homelessness and displacement as severe weather events become more common.
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Homes for people: Housing solutions for everyone

Homes for people event at NSW Parliament House, November 2022
In November the Tenants' Union of NSW, along with our Homes for People coalition partners, organised a parliamentary briefing to launch the election advocacy platform Homes for People: Housing Solutions for Everyone. Homes for People coalition are calling for housing reform that will create the homes people want and need; homes that provide shelter, safety, stability, and comfort.

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Property Tax: TUNSW provides evidence to NSW Parliament

Leo Patterson Ross, Jemima Mowbray of Tenants' Union appear in Parliament
Last week the Tenants' Union of NSW spoke at the public hearing for the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the Property Tax (First Home Buyer) Bill 2022 in support of the introduction of a broad-based land tax, while recognising that the First Home Buyer’s Choice currently proposed and being considered before Parliament does not fit the definition of a broad-based land tax of that type. Implementation of the current proposal may be the first step in a transition to a broader land tax, and give us the opportunity to put in place hardship responses and data infrastructure that will tell us how to progress. The risk is that transition won’t continue.
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Pets and renting — share your experience!

Take the survey
We would like to hear from NSW renters about your experiences renting with pets (or trying to get landlord permission for a pet). We will use information you provide to us to collate a submission to the NSW Government consultation, sharing the views and experiences of our community of renters.
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