SA government flags residential eviction, notice changes
Tenants will no longer be evicted without reason under changes proposed by the Malinauskas government this week.
Renters would also be given 60 days notice to vacate – up from 28 – if their leases are month-to-month.
The Residential Tenancies Act reforms come after Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs Andrea Michaels banned rent bidding – a move which passed parliament last month.
The government is also this year seeking to make more low income earners eligible for the Private Rental Assistance Scheme, which provides bond guarantees to fund upfront charges like a bond and first month rent.
Tenants will also able to keep pets with reasonable conditions set with their landlords, such as whether an animal stays outdoors.
The two latest proposed changes are designed to address rental affordability.
“With a vacancy rate of less than one per cent in South Australia, housing insecurity is a real concern for many…who fear becoming homeless if their lease is terminated,” minister for Consumer and Business Affairs, Andrea Michaels, said (story continues below).
“Our reforms are seeking to address this and provide tenants with additional security in their rental home while still enabling landlords the opportunity to end a tenancy for valid reasons such as breaches by the tenant or wanting to sell, renovate or move into their property,” she added.
“It’s a balancing act as our consultation shows, the majority of respondents believe as the current legislation stands, we haven’t quite got it right at the moment and our reforms will address that”.
The proposed changes come a year after the Victorian government implemented a wave of changes to the residential tenancies act, including that tenants can alter a home and keep pets.
The Queensland government, meanwhile, has this year legislated to introduce rent controls, including limiting to once the times a landlord can increase rent in a year.
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