Media release: Complaints about landlords common, so push to beef up rental-law enforcement encouraging
21 March 2024
Tenants Victoria welcomes the Allan Government’s plans to establish a dedicated taskforce to ensure better compliance from landlords and real estate agents operating in the rental sector.
The new taskforce is to sit within the umbrella of Consumer Affairs Victoria – a sensible step.
‘It’s encouraging to see this push by Consumer Affairs Minister Gabrielle Williams to beef up enforcement of rental laws,’ said Tenants Victoria CEO Jennifer Beveridge.
‘The reality is that the conduct of landlords and agents is a common complaint and source of frustration for renters. The stress has only intensified amid the current rental crisis.
‘We’ve said for some time now that Consumer Affairs Victoria as the responsible authority for monitoring Victoria’s rental legislation, the Residential Tenancies Act, must be resourced and positioned to take a more active role in enforcement of the rental rules.’
Tenants Victoria looks forward to working constructively with the Victorian Government to further improve policy responses for renters, including implementing the next tranche of legal reforms flowing from the government’s 2023 Housing Statement.
Victoria is acknowledged to have some of the better tenancy regulation in the nation, yet rental reform remains an unfinished business in our state and the power imbalance between landlords (officially called rental providers) and renters persists.
On behalf of the state’s nearly 2 million people who rent their homes, we promise to keep the pressure on for systemic change.
See the government announcement below for more details.
Hear our CEO, Jennifer Beveridge, discuss the taskforce on radio station 3AW. Interview starts 45 minutes in.