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A huge win for NSW renters

Make Renting Fair supporters at Westmead Assembly
Today the NSW Liberals and Nationals joined NSW Labor and the NSW Greens and committed to ending 'no grounds' evictions for periodic (or rolling) tenancies. This means we really have a never-before-seen consensus on the principle that rented homes need to be stable homes, and that a modern tenancy system would support this.
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NSW Election Announcement Tracker

Ballot box shaped as a house with city scape in relief, colours striking orange and blue
NSW Election Announcement Tracker: What renting policies have been announced ahead of the March 25 NSW election? What would these policies mean for NSW renters?
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The 2023 NSW election could be a renters' election #RentersElection2023

Tenants' Union CEO Leo: "How parties are addressing the problems renters face may be a deciding factor come 25 March"
The 2023 NSW state election comes in the middle of a rental housing crisis. As voters head to the polls renters' issues will matter, and how parties are addressing the problems renters face may well be a deciding factor in the election. In this blog we examine the cost of living crisis in NSW, and in particular pressures facing renters in relation to housing and energy costs. Parties and politicians on all sides need to be talking about what they will do to fix our broken rental housing system.
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Pitter patter towards pet-friendly homes

photograph of a young child in comfy clothes and slippers sitting on a brown couch with their hand resting on a little brown dog
New South Wales Labor has announced its plan for pets and renting in the March 2023 state election. The plan is an improvement on current laws that allow landlords to refuse requests or impose blanket 'no pets' clauses in tenancy agreements. The Tenants' Union of NSW supports an even stronger model where landlords can only refuse permission or challenge a pet's presence with a Tribunal order and that addresses the application process that works to prevent people finding a home.
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Survey: Renter's privacy and data

Cartoon image of 5 people holding signs with a padlock over their face
You may have heard that the NSW Government is looking at the information that is being collected about tenants during the application process and how it is being stored. This is a great opportunity to 

We've developed this survey to capture your experiences and thoughts about the issue to help us ensure changes are fair and effective.
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Banning rent bidding: what do the new protections do?

graphic of an auctioneer's hammer
You have likely heard the NSW Government this week signed off on changes to introduce new protections against rent bidding. These will come into effect for any new listings from this Saturday, 17 December.

What is rent bidding? What are the new protections against rent bidding? Will the new protections be effective?
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Pets & renting: what does the community have to say?

Sonny the renting Chihuahua
The NSW Government has just closed a 6-week consultation on keeping pets in rental homes. In addition to the Tenants' Union's policy submission, we created a Make Renting Fair campaign community submission, highlighting the lived experiences of renters all across NSW. 
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Improving renting laws for people experiencing domestic violence

simple icon of a house breaking apart through the roof and wall
The Government is currently undertaking a statutory review of the domestic violence provisions. Along with Women's Legal Service NSW and Domestic Violence NSW undertook a survey to help us identify and evidence key concerns and inform our recommendations to the review. Our submission draws on these survey results, along with the experience of advocates from the statewide network of Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Services who provide support to renters to use the domestic violence provisions within the Residential Tenancies Act.
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Standing Strong – Tenant Advocates Conference

Tenant Advocates
In November 2022 almost 100 Tenant Advocates and guests gathered on Yuin Country for our Annual Conference. The theme of the conference this year was "Standing Strong" – in reference to the work Tenant Advocates do supporting tenants, especially through tough times like the last few years. 
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Electricity is a hot topic but little has changed for residents in land lease communities

Electricity "mushroom"
There have been a number of consultations, reviews and inquiries into electricity in NSW over the past couple of years. The Tenants’ Union provided submissions to a number of these inquiries raising the numerous issues that are impacting renters in NSW around electricity. 
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