Renovating Housing Report shows the imbalance – need for tenant services

The report – “Renovating Housing Policy” released by the Grattan Institute last week clearly describes the imbalance already present in the Australian Housing system. Landlords and owners of homes enjoy enormous benefits through Government policies compared to people who rent their homes. As more people are renting their home, and renting for a longer part of their lives this imbalance of fairness will cause more strain to the system and anguish for more people – especially tenants.

With the odds stacked so much against them tenants need access to independent tenants’ advice and advocacy services.

When these services were funded by the tenants’ own bonds and not from State taxes it makes the case for continuing the funding seem beyond obvious.

If you can help please spread the word, consider volunteering, and write to your MP & the Premier

See the Grattan Report

Gold Coast tenant helped to avoid unfair eviction by advice service – a tenant’s story

After having problems getting maintenance done on her rented home then being unfairly treated by the agent, Marie* sought help from her local independent Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Service. The Service helped her through the process of a QCAT hearing to achieve a fair outcome. This is her story.

Help save tenant services

*not her real name

Tasmanian tenants get minimum standards – congratulations!!!

Reprinted from Tenants’ Union of Tasmania’s e-newsletter Rent Rant Spring edition 2013

Tenancy Bill Gets Through Upper HouseTUT

Tasmania will be the first state or territory to have legislated minimum standards for residential tenancies, following the successful passage of the Residential Tenancy Amendment Bill (Tasmania) through the Upper House last Thursday.

The proposed minimum standards listed below went through unscathed but not without much discussion and some dissent. The standards require all tenanted properties to be:

  • Weatherproof and structurally sound
  • Clean and in good repair • Equipped with bathroom and toilet
  • Serviced with a kitchen sink, hotplates and an oven (which can be a microwave)
  • Supplied with electricity and one fixed form of heating
  • Provided with curtains (except properties owned by Housing Tasmania)
  • Adequately ventilated

Fraser Coast – Advice still there for tenants despite cuts

Reprinted from the Fraser Coast Chronicle 19th Sep 2013

TENANTS Union Queensland Fraser Coast is reminding people in the region its advice service remains open and available despite funding complications across the past 14 months.

“TUQ Fraser Coast continues to deliver free and specialised tenancy advice both face-to-face and by the telephone to tenants in our community,” TUQ spokeswoman Ros Connor said.

“While funding is still only secured until the end of December, we are very pleased that these much-needed services are still available to local tenants.”

In the past two months TUQ Fraser Coast has helped 188 tenants.

Tenants can access free advice by phoning 1300 744 263 or 41241523

Your help needed to help save tenant advice services beyond December 2013

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Help Save Tenant Advice Services before funding ends in December

Tenant advice services delivered by the Tenants’ Union of Queensland and 15 local tenant advice services across the state will cease to operate at the end of December unless the Newman government re-instates funding in the near future. We need your help now – find out what you can do here!

These independent services have operated for over 20 years. Less than 15% of the interest generated on tenants’ bonds had been used to fund these services through the Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service (TAAS) Program. That funding was withdrawn last year as a part of the Newman government’s budget cuts.

On October 3, 2012, three weeks before that withdrawal took effect, the Commonwealth Government stepped in to provide emergency funding until June 30 this year. As that date approached and with no long term solution found, the Commonwealth offered a funding extension until December 31. We now need a long term solution or services will close at the end of 2013.
Continue reading

Government changes in absences in public housing – STS comments

Housing Minister Tim Mander has announced he will crack down on public housing tenantsJudging up who are away from their rental home for more than 3 months.

The Minister’s press release implied public housing tenants who took leave from their rental properties were taking unjustified holiday breaks “Obviously, the current situation is absurd and needs to be changed,” he said.

The Queensland government is the largest landlord in Queensland and manages 51,705 rental properties. The Minister’s figures revealed that 285 tenants successfully sought permission to be away from their property for between 3 and 12 months last year.

To take a leave of absence Tenants must have a valid reason and apply to the Department for permission.

Public housing tenants may take leave from their properties for many reasons, including caring for family members, extended hospital treatments, rehabilitation, or short periods of imprisonment. Any implication that many public housing tenants are taking unjustified extended overseas holidays is clearly misleading.

All tenant absences must be approved by the Department of Housing in accordance with their policy guidelines. Continue reading

Minister announces review of Manufactured Homes legislation

 Media Release 19-9-13Man homes
Minister for Housing and Public Works the Hon Tim Mander

Government to review manufactured homes industry

Manufactured home owners will have an opportunity to share their views about legislation that covers their residences through a survey released today on the Queensland Government’s ‘Get Involved’ website.

Housing and Public Works Minister Tim Mander said the survey is part of a review of the Manufactured Homes (Residential Parks) Act 2003 to ensure it strikes a fair balance between residents and park operators.

“We are keen to engage with manufactured homes owners and seek their views on how the Act can be improved,” Mr Mander said. 

“The Act hasn’t been reviewed since 2006, so it is time to take another look and bring it up to speed with this evolving industry.”

The survey will include questions on a range of topics including sales, operations, utility charges, rent increases and dispute resolution.

Mr Mander said respondents would have 12 weeks to provide their feedback, with the survey closing on 20 December 2013.

He said in addition to the survey, the department would be consulting with park owners and industry representatives, as well as home owner advocacy and other interested groups.

“Further public consultation will take place when a discussion paper is released early next year,” he said.

The survey is available online at www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au or visit www.hpw.qld.gov.au/housing for more information.

Crackdown on public housing holidays – Housing Minister Mander

NB 285 households is around.005% of total public housing households.

Media Release 15-9-13
Minister for Housing & Public Works Hon Tim Mander

Housing Minister Tim Mander has vowed to fix public housing rules that allow tenants to take getaways of up to 12 months without losing their public housing properties.

Figures released by the Minister today reveal public tenants took  285 breaks of between 3-12 months last financial year and were absent from their taxpayer subsidised homes for an average of 171 days.

Mr Mander said the current rules not only permitted a leave of absence for tenants receiving medical treatment but also for those planning extended holidays and even those who have been jailed for a criminal offence.

“Obviously, the current situation is absurd and needs to be changed,” he said. Continue reading

Calling for volunteers to help us out!

We’re working on the next stage of our campaign to have funding returned to tenant Save Tenant Services Iconadvice services in Queensland.

Are you able to help us get our message out – what’s going on and how people can help us?  We’re looking for volunteers who can give us a few hours of their time on a weekend or two in the coming months.

Wherever you are in Queensland, if you’re interested we’ll see if we can include you. To find out more you can email us at [email protected]

The Qld government introduces tenancy law changes for social housing tenants

The Queensland government today introduced the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill which will, amongst other things, provide new options to evict social housing tenants.  It also introduces limits on the Tribunal when considering whether to evict a social housing, so that they do not refuse to terminate the tenancy just because the tenant is a social housing tenant.

If passed, it will also reduce the notice time required to end a social housing tenancy agreement when the tenant is no longer eligible for housing.  The time is reduced from two months to one month.  We will seek more information and post it when we get it.

TU NSW writes about changes to public housing in their state

Rerprinted from the TU NSW’s The Brown Couch.  Read directly here.

Friday, September 6, 2013
The same for less, or more to stay the same?

Not to take your mind off the Federal Election that’s to be held tomorrow, but if you are a tenant in NSW Public Housing there is another important date that is fast approaching – on Monday, September 9th, HNSW will flick the switch on the new ‘better approach to filling vacant bedrooms’ policy. We expect to see the full details of this policy on Monday.
This policy has been referred to as a new ‘vacant bedroom charge’, but you might have also heard it mentioned as the spare bedroom tax. Essentially, it will require tenants with more bedrooms than allowed by their entitlement to make a choice: pay the same for less, or pay more to stay the same.

We’ve already spoken about this a couple of times on the Brown Couch, and it is worth revisiting those discussions for a refresher about what we already know. You can find these posts here, here and here.

But to summarise, briefly: tenants who have more bedrooms than they’re entitled to (based on the policy at this link) may be asked to relocate to smaller premises. If they are asked, and they decline, their rent subsidy will be adjusted so that they pay more. For singles, this will mean a rent increase of about $20 per week; for couples, it will mean a rise of about $30 per week.

If, on the other hand, the tenant chooses to relocate to a smaller premises, they will be placed on the waiting list for a transfer, and will be considered a priority applicant.

Since writing those earlier posts, we have had some further discussions with Housing NSW about how this policy will be implemented. Here’s what we have been lead to understand: Continue reading

The Greens talk about rent increases

Despite results from the ABC fact checker, rent is expensive……

Reprinted from ABC new online 5-9-13.  Read directly from here.

Greens Senator Scott Ludlam exaggerates rent increases

Greens Senator Scott Ludlam exaggerates rental prices. 
Photo: Greens Senator Scott Ludlam exaggerates rental prices. (AAP: Lukas Coch)

Greens Senator Scott Ludlam says household rental costs have doubled across the country and tripled in Queensland, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.

“Rents across the country have doubled since the year 2000, but in the ACT, Queensland and WA they’ve actually tripled,” Senator Ludlam told the ABC’s The World Today program on August 28.

“It’s actually been a disaster for the third of Australian households that rent.”

Senator Ludlam made the statement after The Greens launched a policy document aimed at easing rental circumstances for Australia’s low income earners.

  • The claim: Greens Senator Scott Ludlam says rental prices have doubled across the country and tripled in the ACT, Queensland and WA since 2000.
  • The verdict: In dollar figures, national rental rates have doubled since 2000 but they have not tripled. According to the real value of the dollar which takes inflation into account, rents have not doubled or tripled anywhere in Australia. Continue reading