Set out below are the Queensland Government's preferred residential tenancy reform options:
1. Minimum Housing Standards
Option 5: Prescribe minimum housing standards for rental accommodation supported by enhanced repair and maintenance provisions
2. Renting with pets
Option 4 – a range of amendments to the RTRA Act to strengthen a tenant’s options regarding the keeping of a pet on rental property, but also to safeguard the ability of the property owner to refuse to accommodate a pet where there are reasonable grounds to do so.
Option 6 – The RTRA Act would be amended to allow a specific pet bond to be charged and kept separate from the general bond.
3. Minor modifications
Option 3 – Establish mechanisms to manage minor modifications with appropriate safeguards. A definition for a ‘minor modification’ would be introduced to the RTRA Act. Owners would be required to seek a pre-emptive QCAT order to refuse minor changes required for health, safety, accessibility and security reasons.
4. Domestic and family violence
Option 3 – Tenancy law protections for people experiencing DFV would be improved to support them to end tenancies quickly and safely, limit their liability for end of tenancy costs, streamline access to their bond contribution, and more easily install safety and security measures.
5. Ending a tenancy fairly
Option 5 - Remove the ability for owners to end tenancy agreements without grounds but introduce a number of additional grounds to end tenancies under the RTRA Act
The deadline for submissions was 8 January 2020.
PELEN submitted a detailed submission dealing with a number of these issues.
https://www.yoursayhpw.engagementhq.com/give-feedback-renting-in-qld
PELEN
January 2020
© PELEN 2020
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