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Welcome to our blog. Tenants' Union staff and occasional guests offer commentary and analysis of our renting system. We hope to inform, educate and debate the legal, political and cultural aspects of this renting life. For an official quote for media use, or questions regarding our research, policy or publications please contact us. For more articles see the Brown Couch archive, the Clearing House, and news. For factsheets see tenancy info.

 

Hayley Stone | 19/12/2019

Getting your rented home bushfire ready

Guest blogger Hayley Stone, co-ordinator of the Eastern Area Tenants' Service and volunteer with the Rural Fire Service in the Blue Mountains, gives us some general guidance on getting your…
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Jemima Mowbray | 29/11/2019

Antisocial antisocial behaviour management

Last Friday we made our submission to the statutory review of two sections of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 that require mandatory eviction in social housing for a number of antisocial…
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Leo Patterson Ross | 27/11/2019

Balancing tenure security and mobility for productivity

Yesterday we submitted our thoughts in response to the NSW Productivity Commission discussion paper "Kickstarting the productivity conversation". We recommended a shift to land tax,…
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Leo Patterson Ross | 20/11/2019

NSW changes to tenancy law - progress update

There have been a number of developments in tenancy across Australia recently, and NSW is coming close to implementation of the amendments from 2018. Before we look at the update to NSW, here…
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Leo Patterson Ross | 01/11/2019

What you need to know about: Bond Loans

You've found a new place to move to after getting a no grounds notice and you're pretty confident that you'll get your bond back on the current place. But you've been stung…
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The Conversation | 08/10/2019

Looking to rent a home? 6 things that will help or hinder you

Two-thirds of tenants in Australia rent through a real estate agent. A national shortage of private rental housing forces these tenants to impress the real estate agent to secure a property. The…
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Julie Foreman | 29/08/2019

No Bang for your Bond!

This is the initial response from Tenants' Union of NSW, resourcing body for 19 NSW-based Tenancy Advice and Advocacy Services, to the release of funding agreements from 2019-2022 for NSW…
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Leo Patterson Ross | 22/08/2019

No homes on a dead planet

The evidence has been in for some time that our climate is changing. As the Tenants' Union of NSW this concerns us because we know that renters live in housing that is the least suitable…
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Leo Patterson Ross | 30/07/2019

Renting art across Sydney

Art reflecting and questioning housing is currently on display across Sydney. One of the artists, Emily Valentine, comments, "In our real estate centric society, photographs of houses –…
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The Conversation | 05/06/2019

Chilly house? Mouldy rooms? Here's how to improve low-income renters’ access to decent housing

People’s quality of life, their health and their comfort can suffer when living in poor-quality housing. It can also impose high ongoing costs of maintenance, repairs, heating and cooling. And…
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Leo Patterson Ross | 30/05/2019

In/formal housing – is more formality the answer?

This is the text of an address given by Senior Policy Officer Leo Patterson Ross to the Housing Theory Symposium 2019. Leo argues that "Like water, if we do not get the supply of housing…
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Leo Patterson Ross | 10/05/2019

Negative gearing is still not your friend

Negative gearing remains a major issue for tenants - we've written more than 50 articles about it! This article has been one of the most widely read over the last few years, and now we…
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