Renters across the country pay unaffordable rents, often for properties in poor condition. They are forced to ask permission to make basic life decisions - such as having a pet or hanging a picture on the wall. They 'make do' or keep quiet about repairs or other problems because they are worried about the threat of eviction if they make a fuss.
In July the Tenants’ Union NSW invited renters to take part in a joint action launched by the Make Renting Fair campaigns in NSW and Victoria, and the national Everybody’s Home campaign. Renters were asked to share their experiences of renting using the hashtag #IWishMyLandlordKnew to put the spotlight on the often harsh realities of renting.
Hundreds of renters jumped on social media to share things #IWishMyLandlordKnew and helped get renters and the issues they face in the news. Have a read of City of Sydney Councillor Jess Scully’s editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald (The letter that sets every renters’ heart racing), or this opinion piece from our Policy & Campaigns Officer Jemima about renters getting organised to Make Renting Fair.
If you haven’t yet shared a post already you can still join in. Take a photo with a sign using the #IWishMyLandlordKnew line. Post it on your social media accounts. Or if you can't post on social media or prefer to remain anonymous you can send photos or messages through to the Make Renting Fair NSW campaign at contact@rentingfair.org. They will post any shared photos and messages on their social media page.
If you haven't already, you can subscribe to hear directly from the Make Renting Fair campaign by updating your preferences at the bottom of this email. We've got lots of exciting things coming up!
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Renting with bats, mice and squirrels in the wild mid USA
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 Chloe Schumacher, an intern from the USA, has been working with TU over the last two months. Chloe recently shared her experience of renting in Iowa in a guest post on The Brown Couch.
As Australia considers the possibilities offered by 'build-to-rent' landlords, Chloe presents a timely example of the need to look past the marketing promises of 'institutional' or corporate landlords. This experience is not a one off - recent research found many housing advocates raising concerns about the approach corporate landlords take in the USA.
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Here at the Tenants Union, we are lucky to work alongside an incredible network of Tenant Advocates across the state. For NAIDOC week this year we particularly wanted to acknowledge and celebrate the women who work in the Aboriginal Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services. We asked for their thoughts on the motivations and challenges of working as a tenant advocate, how they are making an impact on community, and why a person's home is so important to them.
Some of our advocates are shyer than others about appearing on camera and we couldn’t quite coax them all into filming an interview, but we are very grateful to each of them for the wonderful work that they are doing in supporting and advocating for the rights of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tenants across NSW.
Thanks to all of the extraordinary women who make up our Koori TAAS network, you are truly remarkable!
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Outasite - Issue 4
Do you live at in a Land Lease Community?
Did you know the TU publishes two free newsletters for land lease community residents and advocates — Outasite and Outasite Lite. These contain useful articles and up-to-date information on a broad range of issues relating to land lease community living and the law.
The latest edition of our print newsletter Outasite is out now. View online here.
To read or download back issues of Outasite and Outasite Lite click here.
If you would like to get extra copies of Outasite to pass on to your neighbours or friends, please let us know and we will send these out at no cost to you.
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 Over 400 people from across Australia shared their stories in our mould survey. The common themes were about the frustration around landlord and real estate agent responses, the concern about the potential health impacts and the fear and experience of retaliation. Our submission made with the National Association of Tenants Organisations will be made public on the Inquiry's website soon.
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Media coverage
In the last month or so, the Tenants' Union has given comment on a range of issues affecting tenants including:
We've also been on the radio and TV - if you spot us, let us know what you thought!
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Help the TU continue our work for tenants...
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GiveNow is a user-friendly, non-profit, secure, Australian donations portal. All donations over $2 are tax-deductible.
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