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Tenants' Union news

Also check out our blog, Tenant News archive, media appearances, and Housing News Digest.
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Tenants' Union releases results of survey of share house residents

Thu, 18/05/2017 - 22:31
A crowd of people below a wordcloud
Sharehouse residents have voiced their support for fair share-house rules in a new survey from the Tenants' Union of NSW. The current legal situation for share house residents is confusing, and leads to disputes which are difficult to resolve the survey found.
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Sometimes you need help to get on the right track

Mon, 08/05/2017 - 10:21
Raymond Morris with WESTS coordinator Franya Repolusk
Raymond Morris is a public housing tenant who's very active in his community – he's mentored and supported hundreds of people in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Last year, Raymond put up a carport at his place to secure his car. However Housing NSW informed him that is was an illegal structure, ordered him to take it down, and also served him with an eviction notice. So Raymond got advice from the Western Sydney Tenants' Advice and Advocacy Service (WESTS) and went to the Tribunal.
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Federal Government must not let us down - ACOSS and National Shelter release 6 point National Housing Affordability Plan

Wed, 26/04/2017 - 09:21
Releasing today its 6 point "Housing Australia's People: A Serious Plan'", ACOSS and National Shelter set out a comprehensive package of reforms that would deliver growth in social and affordability housing for people on low and modest incomes and take the heat out of the open housing market for all.
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Funding cuts to Community Legal Centres reversed

Mon, 24/04/2017 - 15:42
Funding cuts to Community Legal Centres reversed
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Community Housing Transfers - What's It All About? - 2 New Forums

Mon, 24/04/2017 - 13:42
Community Housing Transfers - What's It All About? - 2 New Forums
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Escaping an unsafe and insecure rental nightmare

Tue, 11/04/2017 - 10:59
Kellie and her son Elijah
Kellie and her son Elijah are tenants on the Central Coast. At their previous place the landlord failed to abide by the agreement and renting laws in a number of ways. So Kellie got advice from Central Coast Tenants Advice and wrote to the landlord to assert her rights. She also went to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) to seek compensation for the landlord’s failure to do repairs and an illegal lockout. Although she was unsuccessful at the Tribunal, Kellie did manage to get rehoused in a better place.
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Home ownership is falling - what needs to happen?

Fri, 07/04/2017 - 13:45
Leo from the Tenants' Union of NSW speak on ABC News 24
Our Advocacy and Research Officer Leo spoke to ABC News 24 about a new report which shows that Australia has one of the lowest rates of home ownership amongst 9 countries analysed by HSBC.
We point out that what people really want are homes they can rely on - watch now!
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Which agreement?

Thu, 30/03/2017 - 12:24
Papers
People who live in residential land lease communities do so under an agreement or contract. The Tenants’ Union and Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services are frequently asked questions about agreements. Since the laws changed in 2015 the number and variety of questions have increased. In this article we discuss the types of agreements used in land lease communities and how the laws apply to those agreements.
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Community Housing Transfers - What's It All About?

Mon, 27/03/2017 - 13:58
Want to know more about the transfer of public housing to community housing? Come to this Shelter NSW & Tenants' Union of NSW Forum.
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Big win for Aboriginal family in Northern NSW

Mon, 20/03/2017 - 13:19
NATAAS Tenant Advocates
Last year an Aboriginal family in Coffs Harbour with seven kids had their lives disrupted by building work. The family was renting a house on a large block in northern NSW. The landlord decided to redevelop the land by building another house on the block.

The tenants were annoyed enough to apply to the Tribunal for compensation and rent reduction. The Tribunal made directions for exchange of evidence. The tenants obtained some advice from an Aboriginal TAAS (Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service) about the evidence needed.
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