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The Labor party in NSW committed to introducing a “reasonable grounds” eviction policy during the March 2023 election.
A year on and polling shows that the state’s residents are ready for the change to take place.
According to a recent poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of the Tenants’ Union of NSW, the majority of both renters and landlords support the change to varying degrees.
The poll, which was conducted at the start of March 2024 and encompassed 1,200 respondents, reported that 88 per cent of renters support the NSW government’s proposal to introduce reasonable grounds and end “no grounds” evictions.
The move was also backed by 77 per cent of landlords who responded, while 76 per cent of the broader community supported the policy.
Asked about the time-sensitivity of the policy change, more than 70 per cent of those polled said they felt the government should act now to make good on its election promise to end no-grounds evictions, with close to 80 per cent of renters and 67 per cent of landlords agreeing.
Leo Patterson Ross, CEO of the Tenants’ Union NSW, framed the change as particularly necessary given the mounting financial pressures facing renters throughout the state.
“The community is looking to the NSW government to deliver on this election commitment to make renting fairer. It’s a year on from the election, and an incredibly tough period for renters. The community recognises that a fair and transparent approach to ending a tenancy is the way to go,” Patterson Ross said.
“NSW can make sure this is an effective reform that brings greater stability and trust for all NSW renters,” he added.
A fair grounds approach to evictions might not immediately appear as a cost-saving change for tenants, but it does grant them an added layer of security that their landlord cannot simply end a tenancy as a method of increasing the rent.
The move may have a slight moderating effect on rental prices by reducing the amount of churn if evictions driven by rental increases are eliminated from the market.
Renters across the state regard the move as an important update in the face of rapidly rising rental costs and tight vacancy rates.
According to the poll, 82.5 per cent of renters reported they have seen a recent increase to their housing costs. Of that cohort, 87 per cent said they felt the government should act to reduce the number of unfair and unnecessary evictions as a cost-of-living measure.
The community also agreed on that, with 75 per cent of all people polled supporting the policy as a cost-saving device.
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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