THE competing priorities of landlords and tenants will be examined in a Victorian review of concerns such as repairs and minimum standards in rental properties.
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Wodonga Real Estate senior property manager Fran Wernert welcomed Consumer Affairs Victoria’s paper on the regulation of property conditions, part of an overall look into the 1997 residential tenancies act.
Mrs Wernert said the act hadn’t greatly altered since then, unlike the rental market.
“There used to be the tradition of rent somewhere for a period of time, save up and buy your house,” she said.
“That no longer happens as much.”
Consequently more people were becoming long-term tenants and various social issues were also more evident now than 10 years ago.
“There's a lot more times where circumstances of the tenancy changes, so we’re seeing a lot more influences of job losses and drug and alcohol abuse,” Mrs Wernert said.
A property manager for 17 years, Mrs Wernert felt the present act had leaned towards the tenant but the property condition paper took the landlord’s position more into account.
“I think they’ve got a pretty good balance in this one, it’s really not geared towards one or the other,” Mrs Wernert said.
The North East’s Rural Housing Network hoped the review would bring positive outcomes for renters.
Housing services manager Leisa Makszin said a rental property must provide basic human health and safety features, but this was not always the case.
“The needs and expectations of tenants and landlords do not always align,” she said.
“This can be seen most definitely, for example, in cases of maintenance and repairs that are regularly argued at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
“Any increased protection for susceptible renters in our community will be a step in the right direction.”
Consumer Affairs Victoria is seeking comments on its issues paper, with more details available at fairersaferhousing.vic.gov.au.
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