THE ACT will be the first jurisdiction in Australia to remove all forms of tenancy termination without a cause when the government’s no-cause evictions legislation passes the Assembly.

“No-cause terminations mean renters can be evicted without having breached their tenancy agreement, or without being provided any reason whatsoever as to why their tenancy is being ended. Not only does this remove security for tenants, but it undermines their ability to assert their rights as a tenant generally,” says Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury.

“We continue to experience difficult rental conditions in the ACT, with rising rents, renters struggling to find accommodation and to retain that accommodation. We have heard over a long period of time that landlords’ ability to terminate tenancies without cause has a profoundly negative impact on Canberrans renting in the ACT.

The Bill ensures landlords retain reasonable options to end tenancies, such as when they wish to sell the property or move back in, or for failure to pay rent or damage of the property.

As well as removing no-cause evictions, the Residential Tenancies Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 introduces additional reforms that support tenants in the ACT:

• prohibits solicited rent bidding
• allows tenants to compost and grow their own food,
• introduces amendments to support the future introduction of minimum energy efficiency standards for residential properties.