ADVICE OVER THE HOLIDAY PERIOD

Tenants Advice & Advocacy Services have limited availability over the holiday period. The Tenants' Union will operate a Tenancy Advice Hotline from Wednesday 18/12/2024 until Wednesday 8/1/2025 (excluding weekends and public holidays). The hours of operation are 10am-1pm and 2-5pm.

Get advice on: (02) 8117 3750 or 1800 251 101

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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.

 

Residents battle for clean water

specimen jars showing dirty water
Residents of a land lease community in western metropolitan Sydney have been forced to do battle over the quality of their drinking water. They have been concerned for a considerable period of time about the quality of the water supplied by their community operator. 
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Emergency services vehicle access

the entrance to sweetwater grove
This article highlights the importance of operator compliance with all requirements under the Residential Land Lease Communities Act 2013 (RLLC Act). Operators are required under the RLLC Act to ensure that there is 24 hour unimpeded emergency vehicle access to the community. An operator is required to consult with residents and all relevant emergency and home care services regarding access arrangements in the community.
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Wills and Probate

A home at surfrider caravan park
In a recent decision of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) Appeal Panel the question of whether a home can be sold (onsite in a community) without a grant of probate has been answered.
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Quick updates

Quick Updates
Quick updates on the KNV Appeal – the 'fixed' method of site fee increases, and on the 5 year Review of the Residential Land Lease Communities Act.
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Working with resident advocates

Kim
Resident advocates are volunteers who usually live, or have lived, in land lease communities. They may be members of a resident organisation, or a residents committee, or just someone with a commitment to social justice. The thing they all have in common is that they dedicate their time to supporting residents, helping them assert their rights, negotiating with operators and, if necessary, taking disputes to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).
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Rebecca Bryant, Advocate from VERTO South-West NSW TAAS

Rebecca
Rebecca Bryant works as a Tenant Advocate at VERTO, South West NSW Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service (TAAS). We asked Rebecca some questions about her experience of advising and advocating for land lease community residents. 
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Reflecting on 21 years of advocacy for renters and land lease community residents

Julie
After more than two decades’ work as a dedicated advocate for tenants and then land lease community residents, Julie Lee is moving on to new pursuits. We took the opportunity to ask for her reflections on her work and particularly the issues faced by land lease community residents in New South Wales.
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Examining claims about the social objectives of estate renewal

Action for Public Housing protest against redevelopment of Glebe estates
As the NSW Government moves to implementing its decision to redevelop the Waterloo Estate, the social objectives claimed for the redevelopment and what is needed to deliver them becomes a focus. In this blog guest author Dr Alistair Sisson, an academic in the field examines the NSW government's claims about the social objectives of estate renewal. Thanks to redwatch for permission to re-publish.
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Citizens' Assemblies and renting policy: an avenue for fair rental reform?

Crowd of people - image from rawpixel.com on Freepik
Citizens Assemblies are being increasingly explored in other jurisdictions as an avenue to achieve fair and sensible legislative reform across a wide range of issues - including renting.

But what are they, and how could they be applied to improve renting here in NSW?
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Tenant Advocate’s perspective – An interview with Marcus Neil

Marcus
We took the opportunity of a recent visit to Murra Mia Aboriginal Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service to interview Tenant Advocate Marcus Neil.
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