The Minns Labor Government is delivering on its election commitment to improve rental laws and help make renting fairer for 12,245 tenants in Penrith.

The Government’s suite of new measures to make renting fairer will be introduced to the Parliament in October.

The NSW Government is also launching a petition calling on renters in NSW to show their support for making renting fairer for everybody.

More people are renting than ever before, with around 33 per cent of the NSW population renting, an increase of 17.6% since 2016 including 36.5% in Penrith.

However, the current rental market in NSW is the toughest that renters have seen for decades with historically low vacancy rates, median rent prices increasing by around 7 per cent over the last 12 months, and a system that leaves them vulnerable to eviction at any time.

The Minns Labor Government’s rental package includes:

• No grounds evictions – We’re establishing a set of reasonable grounds to end a lease, giving greater certainty to renters and owners. Property owners will now need a reason to end a tenancy for both periodic and fixed term leases.
• Banning fees for background checks – Renters will no longer be charged for background checks when they’re applying for a rental property.
• Ensuring tenants have a free way to pay rent – Property owners and agents will be required to offer free ways to pay, such as bank transfer and the Commonwealth Government’s Centrepay.
• Making it easier for tenants to have pets in rentals – Reforms to make it easier to have pets in rentals, by introducing a new fairer and more streamlined application process

These important changes come alongside other key initiatives: 

• Portable bond scheme – Investing $6.6 million to develop and deliver the nation’s first Portable Rental Bonds Scheme. This means eligible renters can move homes and digitally transfer their existing bond with them.
• Establishing Rent Check – A new, free website renters can use to help check whether the rent they’re being asked to pay is fair.
• Rental Taskforce within NSW Fair Trading – Investing $8.4 million in a taskforce with investigators, inspectors, and support teams to help renters and act on serious breaches of rental laws.

This legislation has been developed working with housing providers, rental advocates, and 
property stakeholders including more than 16,000 submissions from across NSW.

You can add your voice to the petition here.

Premier Chris Minns said:

“Anyone who rents in New South Wales knows just how anxious and challenging renting can be at the moment. We’ve all seen the lines on a Saturday morning with hundreds of people waiting to inspect new properties. 

“We believe this reform gets the balance right, but importantly, this will give both homeowners and renters more certainty, more peace of mind, so they can build a home and a life on surer ground.”

Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong said: 

“We know that renters have been calling out for change so we’ve developed a broad package that will make renting fairer and increase clarity for property owners.

“There are 2.2 million renters across the state and we’re getting on with the job to create a more modern rental market that works for property owners and renters alike.”

Member for Penrith, Karen McKeown OAM said:

“The Minns Labor Government wants to make renting fairer by ending no-grounds evictions and improving rental laws.

“It means that landlords won’t be able to evict you just because they want to increase the rent.

"We’re launching this petition so the thousands of renters can add their support to our rental laws campaign so we can ensure this gets through NSW Parliament.”