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Queensland’s housing plan is here, with the government unveiling new laws to govern renting across the state and incentives to encourage development, among other changes.
So far it’s the state’s tenancy measures that have caused the biggest stir.
They encompass an increase in financial aid to renters and new laws intended to protect tenants and ease the process of finding and keeping a rental.
Part of the government’s housing shake-up called Homes for Queenslanders, the rental changes include:
- Banning all forms of rent bidding and making the annual limit for rent increases applicable to the rental property instead of the tenancy.
- Establishing a new portable bond scheme to allow renters to transfer their bond when relocating from one rental property to another. Until this is in place, a bridging loan will be offered for tenants to afford the cost of a new bond while waiting for the release of an old one.
- Introducing a new rental sector Code of Conduct outlining professional practices in Queensland’s rental market.
- Tenancy law updates to allow renters to install modifications they need for safety and security.
- New laws governing the handling of tenant data and the requirement for 48 hours of notice to be given for property entries.
- Extra funding and expanded eligibility for more than 20 products and services to support even Queensland renters, at a cost of $160 million over five years.
- Doubling of frontline support staff for renters with 42 new RentConnect officers.
Aligned with the new laws to crack down on rental bidding and what Premier Steven Miles described as other “dodgy practices”, the state announced that penalties will be introduced and levied against agents who break the new rules.
In announcing the broad changes, Mr Miles acknowledged the increasing challenges facing tenants across the state, and was clear that the new laws were intended to address the issue of rising rental costs.
“More than one in three Queenslanders rent, which is why renters’ rights and support are at the core of our Homes for Queenslanders plan,” he said.
“Our plan makes sure Queensland renters get a fair go and have the support they need to ease the cost of keeping a roof over their head. Through this package, we hope to ease the cost of getting into a home and help renters to save the money they need for a house deposit,” he commented.
With the average cost of buying a home also increasing across the state, the government is prioritising getting new land to market to spur an increase in supply as part of its housing plan.
The rental measures come on the heels of another announcement that makes up the Homes for Queenslanders project, with the government devoting $350 million to a new Incentivising Infill Fund that will help with the infrastructure costs of creating smaller, more affordable and well-located housing options.
A further measure of the Homes for Queenslanders plan will see the creation of a new State Facilitated Development Team, which will focus on fast-tracking state significant development proposals to solve development and infrastructure issues that delay new homes.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet Helmke
Based in Sydney, Juliet Helmke has a broad range of reporting and editorial experience across the areas of business, technology, entertainment and the arts. She was formerly Senior Editor at The New York Observer.
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