Renting with pets, share housing and a crackdown on rent bidding are among issues up for discussion as part of the State Government's most extensive review of the Residential Tenancies Act in almost a decade.
South Australians, including tenants, landlords and housing organisations are urged to make their voices heard, as the State Government considers reforms to the state's residential tenancies laws.
Consultation has now begun on potential changes with the release of a discussion paper, marking the start of the most extensive review since 2014.
Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs Andrea Michaels says consultation is an important first step in ensuring the state's residential tenancies laws are modern, cover relevant issues and work in the best interests of both tenants and landlords.
Issues up for discussion include:
- Renting with pets
- A crackdown on the practice of rent bidding
- Maximum bond amount
- Standardising application forms
- Whether the minimum notice required for not renewing a fixed-term tenancy agreement should be increased
- New requirements for rooming houses and share accommodation
- Housing standards
- Tenants making safety modifications and minor changes
- Support for renters experiencing domestic violence
- Water bills and payment requirements
- Contaminated properties due to illegal drug activity
Consultation is open until 5pm on Friday 16 December.
To read the discussion paper, make a submission or take part in the online survey, visit https://yoursay.sa.gov.au/renting-law-reform
Quotes
Attributable to Andrea Michaels
As Australia continues to face a widespread rental crisis with lack of stock and affordability issues, it's been one of my priorities to ensure we have contemporary, effective residential tenancies laws in this state.
With cost-of-living pressures putting a real strain on household budgets across the board, now is the right time to look at how the rental property market has evolved, what people expect and how we can make our laws modern and fair for both tenants and landlords.
We want to hear from tenants, landlords and others who have a stake in ensuring we have a fair and equitable system that benefits everyone.
