Redfern Legal Centre has been campaigning for legislative protection for boarders and lodgers and other marginal renters for more than 20 years.
In 2010 we published the Boarders and Lodgers Legal Information Kit, an essential guide to help navigate through the maze of the legal complexities which currently govern the boarding house sector and its residents, as well as other tenants no covered by the the Residential Tenancies Act 2010. As such we welcome this government’s initiative to enact long overdue reform of the sector and appreciate the opportunity to comment on the draft Boarding Houses Bill 2012.
RLC’s view in summary
Our submission is informed by our long history of assisting people who are not covered by the provision of the previous Residential Tenancies Act 1987 and the current Residential Tenancies Act 2010. As such we find that the proposed reforms, although welcome, are limited, and that a number of the most common problems we encounter daily in our service are not addressed.
In summary, we recommend:
- Broaden the definition of Tier 1 boarding houses to premises that are occupied by three or more residents
- That provisions relating to occupancy principles apply to agreements rather than premises
- That residents are entitled to agreements upon commencement of occupancy
- That a resident not be evicted without grounds without a minimum of seven days’ notice
- The addition of provisions relating to security deposits and uncollected goods