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With the Sunshine State’s minimum housing standards set to kick off on 1 September 2023, here is everything Queensland property managers need to know ahead of the changes.
According to the state’s peak real estate body, the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ), the amendments to the minimum housing standards boast ‘many grey areas to navigate’.
The new legislation will be backdated five years to September 2018, when the Open Doors to Renting Reform was launched. Given a property manager’s role to manage your lessor’s interests and facilitate every tenant’s right to have a safe place to call home, the REIQ believes it is paramount for Queensland property managers to understand their obligations related to the amended minimum housing standards.
Changes to the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (Qld) became law in October 2021 with the Minimum Housing Standards, which form part of the act, coming into effect for all new tenancies on 1 September 2023 and for all tenancies 12 months later.
Ahead of the changes coming into effect, the REIQ is warning that “hidden dangers can easily be missed to the untrained eye”.
An example provided by the institute highlighted some dangers which can exist within residential rental properties – and why property managers must take note.
The REIQ outlined: “For instance, how can you be sure that a property is structurally sound and in good repair when issues aren’t readily visible and you aren’t a building and safety inspector?
“Furthermore, like the tip of an iceberg, what if a small issue is hiding a much larger one?”
To illustrate this point, the REIQ provided several examples, including:
- The start of a wood rot under a timber staircase could eventually lead to a more significant damage and fall hazard.
- A defect in a structural beam could eventually cause the beam to no longer be capable of supporting its load.
- Vermin in the roof cavity could cause an electrical fire if wiring is chewed.
As part of its alert to residential property managers ahead of the introduction of Queensland’s updated housing standards, the REIQ is warning property managers in the Sunshine State of the myriad of consequences that can arise from failure to comply with the changes.
These repercussions include tenant-led termination within seven days of occupancy, repair orders and costly compensation, and legal consequences in the event of a serious safety breach, amongst others.
According to the institute: “The safest and most effective way to mitigate the risks for all parties is to leave the determination of building and safety compliance to the experts.”
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