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A political party candidate has proposed significant changes to protect tenants against “getting a raw deal in an overstressed housing market”.
A NSW Greens candidate for the newly drawn seat of Newtown, Jenny Leong, has announced a plan to take power away from landlords and place it in the hands of renters.
Some of the changes to renters’ rights Ms Leong has proposed include:
● Allowing landlords to impose only one increase in rent per year
● Cap rent rises at the rate of inflation (or the consumer price index, which usually increases 2-3 per cent each year)
● Not allowing landlords to evict renters without a valid reason
“I think it’s pretty clear to everyone that Sydney is becoming one of the most expensive places to live,” Ms Leong told news.com.au.
“There’s been a real shift to where long-term renting is the norm.”
Ms Leong said it is “pretty clear” there is an affordability crisis for people living in Sydney.
“We need to look at ways to fix this that reflect community needs, not necessarily what’s going to protect profits or interests,” she said.
Ms Leong said the proposed changes would ensure security of tenure for renters by ending “no grounds” evictions.
“There’s the occasional dodgy landlord who would kick out a tenant just so they can put the rent up,” she said.
The plan would also prevent more than one rental increase a year, unless there were significant improvements made to the property.
“It puts the requirement on the idea that there’s a justified reason for the rent increase,” Ms Leong said.
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