ARE YOU CURRENTLY RENTING ?

Are you currently renting temporary accommodation and feeling affected financially by COVID-19 ? All is not lost ... there are a range of measures available to support you ...

It’s never been more important to ensure people do not have to face the prospect of homelessness, than during this global pandemic.

It’s critical from a public health perspective that people can self-isolate in their own homes, and this means ensuring that they can remain in their rental properties for the duration of this crisis.

All parties have a responsibility to work together to sustain tenancies to keep people in their homes. There's help available for tenants who have felt the impact of COVID-19 with loss of job, reduced hours, loss of business or no longer being able to operate your business.

There are a range of measures to support both commercial and residential tenants, property owners and property managers during the six-month freeze on evictions. Residential tenancy measures include :

tenants in financial distress due to the impact of COVID-19 who cannot meet their rent commitments cannot be evicted or listed in a tenancy database for rent arrears.
fixed term agreements due to expire during the COVID-19 pandemic will be extended to 30 September 2020 unless the tenant requests a shorter term.
cap break lease fees for eligible tenants – household income reduced by at least 75% and savings of less than $5,000.
owner obligations for routine repairs and inspections have been relaxed but regulatory obligations to ensure tenant safety in the rental property continue to apply.
tenants may refuse physical entry for non-essential reasons, including routine repairs and inspections, particularly if a member of the household is a vulnerable person. However, tenants must agree to virtual inspections if physical inspections are not agreed to.
tenants and property owners should work together to reach agreement. If agreement cannot be reached, parties are required to undertake conciliation to resolve disputes which aims to achieve conciliated agreements which form part of the tenancy agreement.