Policy and Law Reform

The Tenants’ Union of NSW (TU) and the Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services (TAASs) believe that people should be able to live happily in rental housing. For too many people, however, the experience of rental housing is not a happy one.

Our present tenancy laws do not address all of the problems that tenants encounter in renting. Our present rental housing system provides too little affordable, appropriate and reasonably secure rental housing. The TU and TAASs work for reform of these laws and for policies to make renting more affordable, appropriate and reasonably secure.

We do this by drafting papers and making submissions to government on policy and law reform. We also promote policy and law reform in the media and through the TU's newsletter.

Current campaigns

The TU has identified the following issues as priorities for policy and law reform. Follow the links to find out more.

Reasonable grounds for termination. Under the current law, landlords have the power to give notices of termination without grounds, creating unnecessary insecurity for tenants. The TU proposes reasonable grounds for terminations.

Boarders, lodgers and other occupants of rental housing who are not covered by residential tenancies legislation. Some of the most vulnerable renters in New South Wales have no legislated rights, and no effective means of resolving disputes with their landlords. Law reform for 'occupancy agreements' is fair for both landlords and occupants.

Tenant databases. Also known as tenant blacklists, tenant databases are subject to only patchy regulation, and tenants who are listed still have no effective means of resolving disputes. Tenants need strong regulation of tenant databases in all states and territories.

Domestic violence and tenancy. Persons may need to change their renting arrangements in order escape domestic violence. The current law does not help them, and should be reformed.

Rent increases. The provisions of the current law relating to excessive rent increases are ineffective. Better protections are needed.

Equitable treatment for social housing tenants. Social housing tenants are subject to laws, policies and decisions to which no other persons in the community are subject.

Affordable housing. The crisis in affordable housing is most acute in the rental housing system. More than a quarter of households in rental housing are in housing stress – that is, they have low incomes and pay more than 30 per cent of their incomes in rent. We need to increase the supply of low-cost rental housing, and reduce the cost of housing generally.