Theresa May’s government in the UK has shown that supporting a fairer, balanced renting system is possible for conservative governments. Last week May and Housing Minister James Brokenshire announced that legislation was to be written to end unfair ‘no grounds’ evictions. Landlords will no longer be able to end tenancies either at the end of a fixed-term or outside a contract period without giving any reason at all. Instead, there will be a list of reasonable grounds where although the tenant has not breached the lease, the landlord will be able regain possession of the property.

Changes to domestic violence provisions in the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 have now come into effect. The changes, passed by NSW Parliament in November last year, improve the protections for tenants experiencing domestic violence.

Revelations that key cabinet ministers who are also landlords failed to excuse themselves from debate on ending unfair 'no grounds' evictions despite having clear conflicts of interest were aired on the 8th of January. The Tenants' Union of NSW calls on the Government to now join with the other parties in committing to end unfair evictions following the state election in March.

Yesterday Minister Goward announced Rent Choice Assist – this is a private rental subsidy that can support people at risk of homelessness to maintain their rentals with assistance for up to three years.

A new video outlining the process for developing the Waterloo Redevelopment Masterplan Process has been launched. The aim of the whiteboard animation project is to provide independent information to the whole of the Waterloo community and key stakeholders on the Waterloo masterplan process, and to encourage the community to have its voice heard as part of the process through an engaging, original and innovative medium.

Following the NSW government’s recent decision not to abolish ‘no grounds’ evictions as part of upcoming rental reforms, Nicole Kennedy (Tenancy Coordinator at Inner Sydney Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service at Redfern Legal Centre) spoke to Eastside Radio 89.7 FM about how these laws impact tenants.

David Bott’s long-running battle in the Tribunal shone a light on a serious issue which public housing tenants know all too well: the systematic failure of FACS to do necessary repairs. After 14 years, FACS made the necessary repairs, but only after getting dangerously close to being found in contempt of the Tribunal. Thanks to David’s tenacity, his case has also paved the way for significant changes to the way FACS will deal with repairs issues.

If you own, live in or manage an apartment, we encourage you to make sure your building is fire safe. Material that covers external walls, also known as cladding, can increase the intensity and speed a fire spreads if it’s the wrong type or not installed correctly. The NSW Government is working hard to address these fire safety risks and new laws have been introduced to ban unsafe building products in NSW. Read more about actions you can take and where to get further information.

Peak housing and homelessness organisations urge Premier to invest the $2 billion of public money towards housing and support for the most vulnerable in our community and not to rebuild sports stadiums.

In NSW current tenancy legislation allows landlords in the private market to end a tenancy without having to give a reason. This means renters are often scared to enforce their rights because they know they can get kicked out for things like asking for repairs or challenging an excessive rent increase. Make Renting Fair is a community campaign calling for law reform to end these unfair evictions. Support for the Make Renting Fair campaign continues to grow.