In this piece, boarding house resident Alison Jolly tells her story: "The housing situation for older single women like me (I’m 61) can be difficult unless they own their own home. Many of…
"It’s so hard to find rental accommodation that is in any way decent. I watch the papers all the time and have my name with lots of agents, but they don’t care. You should see some of the…
Indigo Dunphy is a 20 year old queer person who, at the time of interviewing, was living in a share house with another queer woman and two straight men. She has a girlfriend who stayed over…
This is a story about Gretta, a boarding house resident. She has lived in two boarding houses. The first she liked very much as it included a communal living area as well as shared facilities.…
Parental rejection and family violence based on gender identity have been cited as causes of homelessness for young trans people in Australia. The insecurity of homelessness can in turn have…
"Fleeing an abusive relationship was the most frightening experience of my life. By the time we fled, it was already a game of life or death. Leaving often angers the abuser even more and…
In our new feature ‘This is my park’ Janice Edstein of Sea Winds Village shares her experiences of park living. "My husband John had to retire in his 50s because of heart problems and as we…
"I wear many hats: mother, friend, student, teacher, researcher, tenant, wife, country music enthusiast… Each of these, compartmentalised, functions as a well-oiled machine. However, as…
The marginal rental sector serves a valuable role in our housing system, but it is not well-regulated. Unlawful boarding houses – often ordinary houses and flats that have been internally…
The Tenants’ Union of NSW supports the Residential Tenancies Amendment (Occupancy Agreements) Bill 2011 introduced by the Member for Sydney, Clover Moore, and commends it to other Members of…
Some renters are not covered by the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 or any similar legislation. These marginal renters – including boarders, lodgers and many share house occupants – have no…
'Occupancy principles' are part of the occupancy agreements model of law reform implemented by the Australian Capital Territory in its Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (ACT). The TU…