News location:

Friday, November 22, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Housing boss calls for more protection for renters

Federal housing council boss Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz addressed the National Press Club on Wednesday. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)

By Andrew Brown in Canberra

Renters not locked into limited contracts with increases capped at once a year and the ability to redecorate without landlord permission – this could be the future for tenants.

That’s the vision put forward by the federal government’s housing affordability council head, who has called for an overhaul of the system for renters.

In an address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, National Housing Supply and Affordability Council chair Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz said more protections were needed for the 30 per cent of Australian who are renters, with the number set to rise in coming years.

“Those who are renting are doing so for longer. Renting is the only viable housing option for an increasing share of the population, but in so many ways, our system doesn’t work for renters,” she said.

“Housing quality and maintenance are variable, ranging from excellent to utterly inadequate. Security of tenure can be fragile. We need regulatory frameworks that better support renters.”

Ms Lloyd-Hurwitz said increased protections such as renters able to live at a property for as long as they like, limits of one increase in rent per year, free repairs or not needing permission to paint walls were among suggestions to make renting easier.

However, she said a freeze in rents for tenants would not be helpful in the long run.

The comments coincide with the federal government’s proposal to increase the amount of affordable rental properties facing an uncertain future of passing parliament.

Under Labor’s build-to-rent scheme, investors would receive tax incentives to build new homes that would only be available to renters.

While a Senate report into the proposal released on Wednesday recommended laws setting up the scheme being passed, the coalition said it only entrenched a “rent forever agenda”.

“This bill seeks to entrench tax advantage for institutional investors, in a thinly veiled attempt to corporatise the Australian housing market,” coalition senators Andrew Bragg and Dean Smith said in the report.

The government would need the support of either the coalition or the Greens to get the build-to-rent scheme to pass parliament.

The Greens also raised concerns with the plan, saying it would not lead to any affordable rental properties being built.

Greens senator Nick McKim said the party would only support the proposal if the government agreed to phase out negative gearing and implement a national rent freeze.

Who can be trusted?

In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.

If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.

Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.

Become a supporter

Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Australian Associated Press

Australian Associated Press

Share this

2 Responses to Housing boss calls for more protection for renters

johnny says: 5 September 2024 at 9:05 am

If tenants want to treat a rental property as their own, then they need to buy their own property and be responsible for it. Simple.

The ACT council can start replacing all the public housing they destroyed for the vanity tram if they want to help poor tenants who struggle with basic financial decisions and impulse control.

Reply
John Bell says: 5 September 2024 at 3:26 pm

I agree. And if we want to kill the rental market completely, some of these suggestions are just the way to go. Investors will put their money elsewhere.

Reply

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

News

No transparency in DV levy spending, says auditor

The Safer Families Levy is not transparent or effective in informing the community how the levy is being used, says Auditor-General Michael Harris in a damning report on how the annual rates impost was being managed.

Follow us on Instagram @canberracitynews