Population change and rents
19/12/2023
Eviction without reasonable grounds causes profound distress. That is my immediate conclusion after reading the responses we received to our recent survey on no grounds evictions and renting in NSW. This blog provides a peek into the emotional toll no grounds evictions have on renters, and you can expect a full report on the survey findings to be published very soon.
As someone who regularly talks to renters in NSW about tenancy issues, I have had many conversations, more than anyone should, about cockroaches. I grew up in a cold climate where there are no roaches, so when I moved to the humid tropical paradise for roaches also known as Sydney, I was horrified by their existence in my home – even more so when they would rain down from the kitchen cupboards and scuttle into the back of the fridge when I turned on the light in the middle of the night.
Re-joining the Tenants’ Union at the end of 2023 allowed me to jump back into the details of the ongoing housing and rental crisis in Australia and NSW and investigate the mechanisms recently put in place by the federal government to help abate it.
Greetings, fellow renters of New South Wales! As we kick off the new year, it's time for our beloved NSW renting laws to take a long, hard look in the mirror and make some serious resolutions. Just like the rest of us, they've been making promises for years, and it's high time they start keeping them. A rented home should be safe, healthy, stable and affordable and our policies and laws should be aimed at delivering on this.
In the last couple of weeks, amplified by the Federal government, there has been a resurgence of the idea that pulling back migration numbers will ease pressure on our renting system.
Over the last week, the annual tradition of a real estate agent sending out an email warning their renters not to fall behind in rent over Chistmas was continued, this time by an agency in Victoria.
2023 has been one of the hardest years for so many people, and yet we know people didn't stop paying their rent until they had no other option. We know people went without food, medical care or heating in order to keep a roof over their head.