Ray White Clayfield

The Real Estate Institute of Queensland has strongly opposed the state’s proposed new laws, claiming theywould ‘significantly damage’ the Queensland rental market. Under the reforms, landlords will see their fundamental rights eroded, making property investment far less appealing which in turnwill see investment levels drop. This will lead to an increase in theweekly rental rates which in turn, will see tenants struggling to find suitable, affordable housing. During the rental reforms only 18%of Queensland owners responded compared to 79%of tenants. It is vital that everybody has their say on these reforms. Go online at qld.gov.au/rentinginqld or respond bymail to: Renting in Queensland Strategic Policy and LegislationHousing, Homelessness and Sport Department of Housing and PublicWorks GPOBox 690, BrisbaneQ4001 With the stage 1 reviewof the RTRAAct 2008 now completed, theQueesland government has released its Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement. In this overview, the government states their intention tomodernise tenancy law to ‘better protect tenants’. 135,000 responses were received during the open door consultation and thesewere analysed to identify priority issues for reform. The first stage of changes are to address concerns relating to safety and security, managing tenancies and rentingwith pets. The government’s options to meet policy objectives are outlined as: • Safety and security - to ensure rental accommodation is safe, secure and functional. • Managing tenancies - to ensure existing tenancy rights are enforcedwithout fear. • Rentingwith pets - improve access to pet- friendly rental accommodation. Rental reforms: Queensland Tenancy Law