Across Canberra, tenants are living in homes that do not meet minimum safety standards. Homes are freezing in winter and boiling in summer. Far too often, real estate agents do nothing when tenants raise urgent maintenance issues or health risks. Real estate agents are frequently unresponsive to tenants, and even downright hostile. Tenants have little recourse in this matter, particularly against the actions of real estate agents. The Victorian Government has recently announced a renting taskforce to proactively investigate real estate agents and landlords who engage in prohibited actions such as renting homes that do not meet minimum standards or engaging in rent-bidding. Instated of the onus falling on individual tenants who have an unequal power relationship with their landlord, the Victorian Government will proactively enforce renters’ rights.
The ACT Labor Government must continue its nation-leading reforms to protect tenants and play a larger role in enforcing renters rights and ensuring minimum standards are enforced.