History of the Tenants' Union and Tenancy Services

Tenants resist evictions

Tenant activism has a long history in New South Wales. The NSW Rent Payers' Association provided a telephone advice line for tenants as early as 1910 and resisting evictions was a vital part of defending tenants' rights during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

It was the focus on housing-related poverty uncovered by a government inquiry into poverty in the 1970s that provided the impetus for renewed activism to protect the interests of renters.

Tenants' Union of NSW formed

People concerned with unfair housing conditions began to articulate a new agenda for housing justice which led to campaigns for fairer laws, the foundation of the Tenants' Union and the development of funded services to advise and assist tenants.

From 1980, NSW tenancy services funding was provided by the Australian Legal Aid Office, then by the NSW Department of Youth and Community Services. Volunteers and staff from community organisations sympathetic to the aims of the Tenants' Union operated these tenancy services.

Networking begins

In 1986 and 1987, the Tenants' Union set up twenty independent, staffed services called the Tenants' Advice and Housing Referral Services.

At this time, the Tenants' Union and the services were funded under the Housing Information and Tenancy Services Program of the NSW Department of Housing. Unfortunately, a change of government in 1988 saw the axing of this program.

A number of local government councils provided funds for part-time services to continue in their areas. In 1990, the Uniting Church Board for Social Responsibility established a full-time tenants' service in western Sydney and several community legal centres also took on the task of giving specialist advice to tenants.

Today's Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services

In 1993, after a long campaign, the state coalition government agreed to re-establish tenants' services across New South Wales. The new network was called the Tenants Advice and Advocacy Program (TAAP) – and so became the TAAP services.

Today, the TAAP service network is made up of 14 generalist services plus five services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tenants. The network also includes resource bodies for residential parks and aged tenants, with the Tenants' Union as the peak organisation and resource body for the entire TAAP network.

Funding for TAAP is provided by the Rental Bond Board Interest Account and the Property Services Statutory Interest Account (formerly the Real Estate Agents Trust Account) through the NSW Office of Fair Trading.