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Also check out our blog, Tenant News archive, media appearances, and Housing News Digest.
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Rental realities in NSW: New insights from the End of Tenancy Survey

Fri, 01/09/2023 - 09:08
laptop sitting on a desk with the bond exit survey on screen
Renters in New South Wales face an increasingly precarious housing situation, grappling with the challenges of avoiding unaffordable rent hikes and eviction notices. To better understand the experiences of renters and help us advocate for a fairer system, the NSW Government Department of Fair Trading's end of tenancy survey is growing as a crucial data source, shedding light on the dynamics of rental arrangements within the state.
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Have your say on how prices are set in embedded networks

Wed, 30/08/2023 - 12:16
Electricity meter with 4 dials
IPART the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal NSW has been asked by the NSW Government to recommend an appropriate maximum price for the sale of electricity, gas and hot or chilled water to customers in embedded networks. They want to hear from residents living in residential land lease communities who are living or previously lived in an embedded network.
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Federal Inquiry hears from Tenants' Union: Three times as many renters calling now for advice on rent increases

Fri, 25/08/2023 - 14:50
Sydney harbour aerial shot
Yesterday, the Tenants' Union of NSW appeared at the Sydney hearings for the Federal Inquiry into the Worsening Rental Crisis in Australia. Leo Patterson Ross, CEO, Tenants' Union of NSW spoke to the need for discussion and debate about the renting sector to be, at all times, guided by our shared understanding that the primary purpose of the sector is to provide housing—homes—for people
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Tenant Advocate's perspective – Sonya Mooring, Murra Mia Western TAAS

Tue, 15/08/2023 - 13:12
Sonya
We took the opportunity of a recent visit to Murra Mia Western Aboriginal Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service to interview Sonya Mooring, the Tenant Advocate and Team Leader. 
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What you need to know right now to make renting fair in NSW

Thu, 10/08/2023 - 14:23
Crowd of Make Renting Fair supporters, Housing Assembly March 2023 Westmead
We’ve worked hard to get this far, but there’s work still to be done! Along with renters and other supporters in the community, we have been campaigning with Make Renting Fair on our 6 demands for the last 18 months. And we’ve had good progress. In this blog we look at that progress, and then talk about ways to keep pushing. Consultation on the law reforms the new NSW Government committed to during the election is one good way. The Government is encouraging everyone to have their say about Improving NSW Rental Laws – and we have some resources to help you contribute!
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Organisations unite in rental reform call to Senate inquiry

Fri, 04/08/2023 - 14:25
Residential home with For Lease out front of property
A coalition of more than 80 organisations across Australia has urged governments to act swiftly on rental reform in a joint submission to the Senate’s rental crisis inquiry. Fair limits on rent increases, ending no-cause evictions, and improving energy efficiency in homes are among the advocates’ listed priority areas of rental reform. 
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Modernising Consumer Protection in Renting: From Individualised to Systemic Protections

Wed, 02/08/2023 - 11:26
Listings for rentals from an old newspaper
Over the last 50 years, tenancy acts have been directed by the results of the national inquiry conducted by Ron Sackville as part of the Whitlam poverty inquiries. The recommendations of that inquiry built on previous attempts to carve out protections from the common law and balance the individual interests of a renter and a landlord. What will drive reform in the coming years and decades?
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Tenants' Union says Yes to the Voice

Tue, 01/08/2023 - 09:28
Yes to the Voice
The Tenants' Union supports a Yes vote in the upcoming referendum on the Voice to Parliament. Ensuring all people have a home that nurtures their lives, including connection to community is so important for everybody, but in particular for Aboriginal people who face current and historic barriers to achieving it. The Voice is one part of a long process to rectify these issues and creates opportunity for Aboriginal people to be better heard and recognised in public policy that impacts them.
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Own Goal? Thinking about the impact of the FIFA Women’s Cup on rental housing

Wed, 19/07/2023 - 15:22
image of Circular Quay in Sydney Harbour, showing office buildings
FIFA Downunder is just a day away as the 2023 Women’s World Cup Finals are played across nine cities in Australia and New Zealand over July and August.  It is truly a mega-event, and a really exciting opportunity to showcase football in Australia. We also need to learn lessons from Australia and the world to ensure these events don't cause housing issues.
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Renters, have your say!

Wed, 12/07/2023 - 14:59
Speak up now to improve rental laws
The NSW Government has now opened a consultation on Improving NSW renting laws. Now’s your chance to have your say on the changes needed to make renting fair!
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