Marie_Claire_Australia_November_2016

72 marieclaire.com.au

Take for example, the shortness of leases,

the reluctance to allow tenants to change

a rented property in any way and the

difficulty for tenants to raise disputes.

If the Blackmans lived in Europe or

the US they would find a very different

scenario. In Switzerland, 56 per cent of

people rent. In Germany, only 39 per

cent own their homes and renting is

seen as normal. Germans often have two-

year minimum leases, landlords have to

give at least three months notice and

rents increase by as little as 20 per cent

over three years. In LA and NYC, rent

control makes leasing a common choice.

In contrast, in certain circumstances

Australian landlords can turf out

their tenants with little notice and

in NSW hike up rents.

Our tax laws favour capital gains tax

discounts which reward investment

buyers buying up property and moving it

on quickly, displacing those living in it in

the process. In fact, Australia is seen to

be one of the least tenant-friendly

countries in the OECD.

Ziebell says tenants groups are

desperate to see a change to current laws.

“In WA there isn’t a rental tribunal,

so if you have a problem with your

landlord, it’s the magistrate’s court,” he

says. “In the Northern Territory, there’s

no bond board so renters hand over

their bonds and just hope for the best.”

Other states are better in some areas,

he says, but he is yet to hear a valid

argument as to why something as

important as housing should not be

brought under federal law.

He also wants to see longer leases.

Short leases have negative effects on

adults and children. “We know the

impact on kids when they have to move

school or home,” he says.

“It can be horrible to see the way

renters are treated,” says Jade Costello,

co-founder of Melbourne Rental Search,

which caters exclusively to renters. “If

more professionals stay in the market,

not just when they’re young and biding

their time, we’ll see the market change

to meet their needs.”

For Natasha and Alisdair, the

market is the last thing on their minds.

One of the advantages about renting

is that they have much to talk about

other than rising property prices and

the latest renovation. “I’d much rather

talk about holidays and handbags,”

says Natasha with a laugh.

AMANDA PRIOR

“There are three main

reasons we rent. We can

afford to rent better than we

can afford to buy with

property prices where they

are,” says Angie.

“We’re also investing in

development elsewhere

which has more risk but

better returns than if we

owned our principal place of

residence. And we have

small children and want to

try places out before we

decide what school

catchment we want to be in.

“We’ve had bad rental

experiences before. We’ve

started off on the wrong foot

with a landlord, and also had

a rental where the landlord

was selling and we had to

get out. That instability is

hard for renters.

“We now have a great

landlady who lets us have

our dogs which was a

dealbreaker for us! The

stigma around renting has

got to go. Renting or

buying, it just shouldn’t

matter these days.”

Angie Ersan, 35, and

husband, real estate

agent Ercan, 36,

rent a three-bed

terrace with daughters

London, six months

and Elvie, two.

AVERAGE WEEKLY RENTAL

PRICES AROUND AUSTRALIA

sbane

$600

Sydney

Melbourne

$355

Hobart

$4

Pe

HOW OFTEN CAN RENT

BE INCREASED?

NSW: No limit.

Qld, Tas, Vic, WA and NT:

Once every six months.

ACT and SA: Once every 12 months.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Renting for life is the future for many

Australians, but critical change is

required. Here’s how you can help

Make it political

Our tenancy laws require

urgent reform. The newly formed

Tenant Rights Party is advocating

for renter’s rights through legislative

change, new policy development

and housing affordability. Visit

tenantrights.org.au/join.

Make your voice heard

Vent about your rental

property, landlord or real estate

agents at consumer review site

DontRentMe.com. (If you are

experiencing real tenancy problems

seek advice through free tenant

advice services in your state).

Support pet owners

Family pets are often the

innocent victims when landlords deny

tenants the right to keep pets. The

RSPCA is advocating for change in

this area. See rspca.org.au.

Help social ventures

Many small not-for-profits are

advocating for social change around

housing issues. The Tiny Homes

Foundation is one such organisation

building tiny homes for the homeless.

Follow them on Facebook and see

how you can help.

Australian report