Source:https://www.domain.com.au/news/coronavirus-whats-happening-around-the-country-with-renters-and-landlords-950408/
When
revealed in early April, Queensland’s protections
for renters were some of the strongest in the country. To secure a rent
decrease, a tenant was not required to share any financial details and would
not be allowed to accrue rent debt, but these protections were wound back after
a short but effective campaign by the real estate lobby.
The definition of an affected
person was the broadest in the country, defined by being subject to a
self-isolation order, or if they or someone in their care has COVID-19, if
they’re vulnerable to COVID-19 due to age or a preexisting condition if the
travel restrictions prevent them from working or going home and if their place
of work is closed, or if they’ve lost 25 per cent of their income and their
rent is more than 30 per cent of their income.
Failure to pay rent will no
longer be a valid reason to evict a tenant and if a tenant is experiencing
hardship because of the virus, the landlord will have to extend their lease
until the end of the COVID-19 emergency period if it would otherwise end.
Other reasons to evict will stay
valid, but any landlord trying to misleadingly evict a renter will be subject
to a fine.
Landlords and tenants must enter
into negotiations, if a tenant claims hardship before any further action can be
taken.
Inspections and access to a
rental property will also be limited during the crisis.
Affected renters will have access
to an expanded rent support payment of $2000 a month, which was previously
offered to family violence victims and other vulnerable groups.
Don’t
forget to upload all relevant documents and minutes for meetings onto the
RealRenta platform to form part of the tenancy file.
If you
are not a RealRenta Landlord, join now and save 50% off the normal subscription
fee.
https://mailchi.mp/realrenta/50-deal-2020
Jason Gwerder
Wednesday, 6 May 2020
