Today marks one year since the Andrews Labor Government introduced more than 130 reforms to make renting fairer and safer for all Victorians.
Renters have been able to keep pets in their homes without written consent from their rental provider since March 2020, with further reforms introduced the following year.
The new pet request form has been downloaded almost 70,000 times from Consumer Affairs Victoria’s website since the introduction of the new laws.
The reforms also make it easier for renters to reclaim their bond money, with renters now having the option to apply to the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA) directly.
Since 29 March 2021, renters have been able make a claim for their bond claim without their rental provider’s agreement. Once this occurs, the RTBA alerts the rental provider and other co-renters to the renter’s claim, giving them 14 days to dispute it.
More than 12,000 bond claims have been initiated by a renter since this new law came in, with more than half paid out directly to the renter.
Renters have also been able to make minor amendments to their rental properties without the permission of their rental provider, including re-painting walls, hanging picture hooks, securing furniture to walls and installing shelving.
For many renters, the increased freedoms within their rental property have been the difference between a house and a home and has helped to create a space they feel safe and comfortable remaining in long-term.
Rental providers have benefitted from stronger accountability for renters, clearer responsibilities, and more contemporary processes.
Veronica from St Kilda is just one of many renters whose life and home has been positively impacted by the important reforms around pets.
Veronica already has permission from her rental provider for her pet snake Noodle, but the new renting laws allowed her to expand their home with the addition of miniature spoodle Taco.
More information on the changes to renting laws can be found at consumer.vic.gov.au/rentinglawchanges.
As stated by Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation Melissa Horne
“Renters deserve to feel like their house is their home – in the past year these important reforms have made that even more possible for the millions of Victorians who are living in a rental property.”
“These changes have strengthened renters’ rights and better protected vulnerable renters, while also clarifying responsibilities and improving many of the outdated processes involved in the rental process for both tenants and landlords.”
