Published in the South Sydney Herald, February 2017

Can our new Premier improve the score?

NSW has a new Premier. We’re relieved to see the back of Casino (or is it Chainsaw?) Mike, but will our new Premier be better?

Premier Berejiklian has already indicated how her Government will respond on a number of key issues. On others, we’re still in the dark. Over the coming months we will see whether the Premier is genuinely willing to listen to community concerns and take action to repair some of the disastrous decisions made under former Premier Baird.

Almost 40 per cent of New South Wales households are now renting, and more people than ever will be lifelong renters.

Member for Newtown and NSW Greens spokesperson on Rental Issues Jenny Leong MP explains why urgent reforms are needed to remove 'no grounds' evictions, to provide more security for renters in NSW.

The NSW Government has proposed a number of reforms to the real estate and property services industry. While some of the proposals will improve the industry, the reforms do not do enough to protect the significant number of NSW residents who have dealings with the industry, either as renters or as the buyers or sellers of property.

The third Rental Affordability Index (RAI) released today shows that Sydney remains Australia's least affordable city for renters and makes it clear that significant change is needed to address this crisis.

NSW Greens spokesperson on Housing and Member for Newtown Jenny Leong MP said:

"It is clear that any attempt to deliver housing affordability can't start and end with supply alone. What we need is an increase to affordable supply. Unless there are mandated significant targets for affordable rental housing in new developments, rents will continue to soar."

NSW Fair Trading has released the Statutory Review of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010  in response to the 210 public submissions that suggested improvements to NSW rental laws earlier this year. 

The report signals a bleak future for NSW renters.

Are you a renter in NSW?

Then you know that our rental laws need to change.

More people are renting than ever before - and for longer. The number of families in rental accommodation is growing and for many people renting is the only option, as home ownership is completely out of reach.

Our laws need to be updated to reflect the new normal in renting. In many other global cities, rental laws give tenants long term security and help keep rents affordable.

One of the biggest issues for renters in NSW is a lack of stability. A landlord can tell a tenant to move out of a property at the end of a lease without giving any reason – even if the tenant has met their responsibilities and paid their rent on time. 

That means that many renters have no idea of where they will be living from year to year. For families this could mean having to put kids into a new school every time they are forced to move to a new area.

This needs to change.

As Choice have noted, Australia is one of the few OECD countries that allows 'no grounds evictions'.

We need to update our laws to put an end to ‘no grounds evictions’. Landlords would still have the right to ask tenants to vacate a property for major renovations, for any breaches of their lease, or if the landlords wants the house for themselves or their family. But otherwise, tenants would be allowed to stay in their homes.

Read more on our Renters Rights campaign here.

Have you been forced out of your rental property for no reason? Tell us your story.

We will use some of these stories for our upcoming speeches, fliers etc. Let us know if you'd prefer us not to use yours.

The Greens have called for extensive reform of NSW rental laws, to give renters improved access to safe and secure housing, in their response to the government’s Discussion Paper on the Review of the Residential Tenancies Act.

There’s an opportunity to reform NSW rental laws in 2016, with the Review of the NSW Residential Tenancies Act.

Although rental properties are people’s homes, too often they are used as a way for dodgy landlords to maximise profits, at the expense of tenants’ security and safety.

NSW Greens spokesperson for Tenancy and Rental Housing Jenny Leong has asked renters to share their ‘Rental Horror Stories’ on Facebook, as part of the Greens’ campaign for renters’ rights. Renters can also share their rental experiences via an online renters’ survey. The stories that are submitted will be used to identify the biggest problems with the current rental system.

Today I called on the Government to take meaningful action to address the Housing Affordability Crisis. 

New data regarding rent prices in Sydney is alarming and requires serious action by the state government to protect renters in Sydney, according to Jenny Leong MP, The Greens NSW Rental Housing spokesperson and Member for Newtown.

Article from page 2-3 of today's SMH.