Queensland’s rental law reform progresses
A BILL to progress Queensland’s rental law reforms has been introduced in Parliament.
The aim of the first stage reforms is to strike a balance between rental property owners and renters to give both parties more certainty.
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Under the reform, through encouraging greater transparency and accountability around intentions and decision making there will be more certainty about tenancy arrangements.
By prescribing Minimum Housing Standards, tenants will have more confidence their rental property is safe, secure and functional.
Renters experiencing domestic and family violence will have the certainty to manage their tenancy arrangements to improve their safety without bearing the costs.
And the reform will introduce frameworks to support negotiations between tenants and landlords in regards to renting with pets to encourage more pet-friendly rental accommodation.
The reform’s proposed changes to Queensland’s rental laws come from over 150,000 responses received from consultation processes held in 2018 and 2019.
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The Open Doors to Renting Reform Consultation in 2018 by the Queensland Government received over 137,000 responses from renters, property owners and property managers providing their feedback on experiences such as living in, owning or managing a rental property and suggested improvements.
The Better Renting Future Reform Roadmap in 2019 then outlined a two-stage reform approach to address this feedback and over 15,000 responses were received to provide comments on Stage 1 reform options across five priority renting issues:
One, ending leases fairly. Two, minimum housing standards. Three, domestic and family violence protections. Four, renting with pets and five, minor modifications.
Once the Bill has been considered by the Community Support and Services Committee, if it passes through all stages in Parliament it will be sent to the Governor for Royal Assent. It will then become the law when assent is given.
