A year to review

2019-12-03
Gateway Lifestyle Stanhope Gardens residents
Yes, it has been four years since the Residential (Land Lease) Communities Act 2013 (RLLC Act) commenced and that means the statutory review is due next year. The Tenants’ Union has already started working with Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services, Resident Groups and Resident Committees to identify areas of the law we think could be improved. Looking back over the past year electricity overcharging by operators has once again dominated the land lease community landscape. NCAT has determined a number of disputes and other groups of home owners have reached agreements regarding charges and refunds with their operators.
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Rental Bond Exit Survey launched

2019-12-03
Computer on desk
In NSW we know a lot about how tenancies begin – there are lots of statistics and articles on rents at the beginning. But there's very little on how tenancies end. No government body in Australia is tracking how or why tenancies end – but in NSW we're taking the first step to get this information. From this week when you finalise your bond, look out for an email asking you to participate in a survey about the bond. We encourage all tenants to fill out this survey – it is a great opportunity to get new evidence about the way our renting system works at the end of tenancies.
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Tenants' Union Annual Report 2018-2019

2019-11-25
Tenants' Union Annual Reports
It's been another year of great results for the Tenants' Union of NSW: 1 million sessions on tenants.org.au for critical renting information; 3,934 people helped with their renting issues; 1,500 workers trained in Residential Tenancy law; $80,000 recovered for 93 parks residents overcharged for electricity; We got 'no grounds' evictions on the political and media agenda, and built support for changes to make renting laws fairer. Read more in our Annual Report.
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Sector welcomes important reforms to tenancy laws to further protect victims-survivors of domestic violence

2019-11-20
Logos
We welcome the passing today of important legislation to improve the safety of domestic violence victims-survivors renting in NSW. Today’s Bill strengthens reforms which commenced in February this year which allow victims-survivors of domestic violence to end their tenancy immediately without penalty.
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Embedded networks on ABC's 7.30 Report

2019-11-01
Mary Preston
Mary Preston is an amazing member of our network of land lease community residents. She works for fairness in her community and gathers frequently with other members of the network to discuss issues and solutions. Mary recently appeared on ABC's 7.30 Report in an investigation into embedded networks in land lease communities.
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Solar for All – including us renters

2019-10-25
Text heading reads "what is a solar garden"
Everyone deserves to be part of the shift to renewable energy but 35% of Australians are 'locked-out', unable to get the benefits of rooftop solar – because we rent (or live in an apartment, or have a shady roof, or we just can’t afford the upfront cost). The good news is that there is a solution – a Solar Garden. But we need your support to make Solar Gardens take off.
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NEWTAAS 2019 Annual Report

2019-10-07
NEWTAAS team
It has once again been an incredibly busy year for the New England and Western Tenants' Advice and Advocacy Service. This year we have had a few changes in staff, as well as significant casework and law reform challenges to deal with. In this Annual Report you'll also find short case studies and learn about cases where we’ve felt that we’ve been able to assist a client who really needed us.
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Productivity Commission recognises need to end unfair No Grounds evictions

2019-09-25
Productivity Commission graphic
The Productivity Commission today released a report on vulnerable renters in the private market, concluding that removing unfair no grounds evictions from our renting laws is needed to better protect low income and other vulnerable renters.
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Electricity win – a real circuit breaker

2019-09-02
Parklea land lease community residents
A few weeks ago the Tenants' Union of NSW successfully represented 93 residents from Parklea residential land lease community in Tribunal applications regarding unfair electricity charges. Residents will now receive a refund totalling approximately $80,000 for incorrect charges in their embedded electricity network dating from November 2015. This important case will assist residents across NSW to challenge overcharging for their electricity.
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Reflections of a Blue Mountains Tenant Advocate

2019-08-27
Jo Hibbert
Jo Hibbert, Tenant Advocate
Jo Hibbert has been a Tenant Advocate at the Blue Mountains Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Service for seven years. Now she’s retiring for a well-earned break, so we took the opportunity to ask her for some reflections about her time in the world of tenancy. She talks about some of her experiences at the Tribunal, and the way the workload for Advocates has increased, but the funding hasn't. She also tells the story of a tenant who she defended from eviction six times!
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