Renting issues are front and centre in the lead up to #RentersElection23
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As we struggle through the renting crisis, the spotlight is well and truly focused on our issues â and decision-makers are being forced to listen. Public discussion has shifted to the point where both major parties have committed to ending no-grounds evictions (albeit to different degrees). As we wrote earlier this month in our blog, NSW will ban âno groundsâ evictions for renters during periodic tenancies which is a huge win for renters.
However, we know that a lot more will be needed to address the crisis. Leo Patterson Ross (Tenants' Union CEO) writes in a Guardian op-ed: Having a roof over your head is a basic human need. Renting in Australia should be treated like an essential service (Guardian).
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"Day after day, the calls donât stop coming in to Tenants Advice Services as renters face rent increases alongside the difficulty in finding and keeping a home that lets them live safe, healthy and dignified lives. Advocates across the state are telling me weekly how difficult it is to help everyone who needs it. Calls about rent increases have gone up from hundreds each year to thousands..." Read more
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Whatever the outcome of the election on Saturday, we hope to see urgent action from the NSW government on the renting crisis. Even a very quick glance through the news reveals the severity of the problems we face:
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The Tenants' Union NSW Election Announcement Tracker summarises the renting policies put out so far by the different political parties. We also provide brief analysis of the likely impact of each policy.
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Putting Renters on the Map
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We've been getting a great response to our new tool which showcases renters' stories â Putting Renters on the Map â with thousands of views since it was launched a couple of weeks ago. Check out the stories and campaign toolkits for each area. And please share it on socials with friends and decision-makers!
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Meanwhile, some renters have been galvanised to take to the streets â several protests about the housing crisis have occurred in the last month, some met with a heavy-handed police response:
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Through a Renter's Lens â photo comp winners
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We were thrilled to award the winners of our renters' photo competition at a special one-night exhibition at Customs House! Over 100 people from all over Sydney came to view the top entries and celebrate the rentersâ photography. So many of the photos we received showed technical skill, aesthetic appeal, and also captured the human side behind the rental crisis currently gripping NSW. Check out all the top entries and photos from the exhibition here. The exhibition was also covered in realestate.com.au.
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Winner of the People category:
"Summer Shenanigans" by Rod Smith
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I rented my three-bedroom house in Flood St Leichhardt with a view to having my family from Bendigo up for Christmas. So mum, dad, my sister and her two boys bunked down with my son Toby and I for a fun 2021 Christmas-NYE. The three boys â Tobin, Zane and Will â slept in a tent in the backyard. One of my favourite parts of living in the house was lying in a hammock strung between the two old olive trees in the backyard. Here my dad â also Rod â in his summer attire, is playing hide and seek with my youngest nephew Will â aged 6 at the time.
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Winner of the Place category
"Transient Home" by Daniel Gerling
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"A home is not made from bricks and mortar, but love and memories". This quote from the classic movie "The Castle" is as relevant today as it was 25 years ago. It highlights the importance of being able to sink your roots into the ground and imprint your identity on the environment around you. Our homes are now seen as nothing more than investment opportunities to be flipped and sold in spite of the lives of the occupants. This transitory feeling is reflected in my photograph with my sister being transparent at her desk. As young renters we are vulnerable to having our home whisked away at a moment's notice for reasons such as excessive rent increases or no-cause evictions. The house will then be rid of our identity with a new coat of paint as if it were diseased.
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Winner of the Pets category:
"Coffee Watches Anxiously" by Dylan Young
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Coffee is a very nervous cat, diagnosed and medicated for anxiety, just like his human. A flat is not just a home for Coffee, it is the instinctive understanding of safety and security all creatures seek out. The past year living in Newtown, Coffee has blossomed into new confidence, trusting visiting friends, welcoming affection, and heâs learned to love a good brush. While still skittish, heâs learned the escape routes he needs if we look like weâre walking too fast, if our hands might lash out to carry him to the dreaded vets office. Heâs become comfortable here. Coffee and his human received a no cause termination notice and are forced to vacate by the 16th of February. When we consider the practice of treating a rental property as a financial asset, from the perspective of a cat, we can see the barbarism at work.
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Winner of the People's Choice Award:
"John and his Vincent Bach Stadivarius" by Aston Brown
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As well as being one of the leading figures on the international trumpet scene and the owner of Australiaâs largest collection of historical trumpets, John Foster, 45, is also my neighbour. When heâs not performing on the global stage John spends much of his time practising at home; a cosy centuries-old terrace a few blocks off Enmore Road in Sydneyâs inner-west, that heâs rented with his wife Kirsty for the last decade. As we moved in last July, my new housemates and I quickly found ourselves the audience of Johnâs rehearsals, as the sounds of his Vincent Bach Stradivarius â his most prized piece of brass that heâs owned since age 12 â reverberated through our new rental. We were soon welcomed to the neighbourhood by his friendly smile at the door and have since enjoyed many colourful yarns from over the fence, and the occasional slab of cider â a peace offering of sorts â after a long day of practice. âMost neighbours have been very understanding. I always introduce myself and explain that I never play before 10am and after 5pmâŚthey even say that they like the sound of the trumpet, well at least thatâs what they tell me,â says John.
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On exhibition night when John accepted the award on behalf of Aston, he spoke about their group of neighbours who have created a community with street parties, a street band, and a shared culture â and they're all renters.
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New tool â Rent Converter
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We are constantly updating the legal information and resources for renters on tenants.org.au â over a dozen of our factsheets/resources have been amended in the last month.
We have also just added a new Rent Converter tool. This calculator helps renters to quickly convert rent amount between daily / weekly / fortnightly / monthly / yearly amounts. One of the uses of this tool is to assist renters to check that the way the rent has been calculated in the lease is correct. It is important to note that the landlord/agent cannot require you to pay more than 2 weeks rent in advance, however you may choose to pay more - it's important to get the math right!
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Help the Tenants' Union continue our work for tenants...
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