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The Miles government has introduced a bill to ban rental bidding, establish a portable bond scheme, and protect tenant privacy, among other reforms.
The Sunshine State has continued powering forward on the Homes for Queenslanders plan with the introduction of the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024.
Under the new amendment, all forms of rental bidding will be banned, a move that follows in the footsteps of South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT.
The 12-month limit on rent increases will be attached to the property rather than the tenancy, in a bid to “help stabilise rents and provide more certainty for renters”.
In addition, bond claims will be required to be supported by evidence, while a portable bond scheme will also be created.
Following mounting concerns about tenant data privacy, the bill will set up a prescribed form to be used to apply for a rental home, and renters will be given 48 hours’ notice prior to entering the property.
“More than 600,000 Queensland households rent,” said Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon. “These reforms are about making renting fairer, safer and easier.”
“Renters will have their privacy protected and a new code of conduct will stamp out dodgy and unprofessional practices,” Scanlon stated.
She added that “renters won’t have to find additional money for a new bond when they move, and they won’t have to bid more than advertised on a rental”.
According to the Queensland state government, the upcoming bill builds on a raft of rental reforms introduced in 2021 under the title A Better Deal for Renters.
From 1 October 2022, no grounds evictions ended, periodic leases ended, and changes were made to allow more Queensland renters to keep a pet.
“These important protections go alongside cost-of-living support we are rolling out for Queenslander renters to cover things like rent arrears and increases, and this bill will make sure they can get a home and stay in it,” Scanlon stated.
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