Renters in New South Wales have scored a significant victory with the government’s announcement of a ban on no-grounds evictions.
The proposed legislation is set to be introduced in September later this year.
Under these reforms, homeowners will be required to provide a legitimate reason to end a tenancy for both periodic and fixed-term leases.
Stay up-to-date on the latest news with The New South Wales Briefing – keeping you in the loop with news as it hits:
Existing grounds for eviction, such as breach of lease, property damage, or non-payment of rent, will remain in place.
New valid reasons will include the sale of the property, significant repairs, renovations, demolition, or a change in the property’s use.
Additionally, if eviction is sought due to renovations or repairs, the property cannot be re-listed for at least four weeks.
Landlords can also evict tenants if they no longer qualify for affordable housing programs or if the property is student accommodation and the renter is no longer a student.
Premier Chris Minns said: “Bad tenants will still be able to be evicted.”
“But anyone who rents in NSW knows just how anxious and challenging renting can be at the moment,” he said.
Importantly, homeowners must supply evidence with termination notices, and penalties will be imposed for non-genuine reasons.
These changes would align NSW with other states like the ACT, South Australia, and Victoria, affecting approximately one-third of eight million renters in NSW.
Under the legislation, the termination notice period for fixed-term agreements will increase from 30 to 60 days for leases of less than six months, and from 60 to 90 days for those lasting more than six months.
Notice periods for periodic agreements would remain unchanged.
Subscribe to The Briefing, Australia’s fastest-growing news podcast on LiSTNR today. The Briefing serves up the latest news and deep dives on topics affecting you, all in under 20 minutes.