CHANGES made to Victoria’s renting laws will make things “fairer for everyone”, according to the Peninsula Community Legal Centre.
Reforms brought in this year include limiting rent rises to once per year and ensuring properties are fitted out with the basic amenities.
In a statement, the PCLC said the previous laws “created a power imbalance that favoured landlords”.
“The changes to the law mean that renters in Victoria are now provided with some of the basic protections that have existed elsewhere in the world for a long time,” PCLC CEO Jackie Galloway said. “It is only fair that rental properties must meet basic standards that make them safe and liveable.
“The new laws enable people to turn the house they rent into a home. They are not about maintaining a property to a luxury level, they are about maintaining it at a basic liveable level. The reforms won’t require huge changes for those who are already providing safe and secure rentals.
“For example, renters have to ask if they can have a pet and if the owner does not agree they can apply for a VCAT decision that the pet should not be allowed. So an owner might be able to prevent a very large dog being kept in a very small unit, for example, but for most situations the renter can now make a home with the pet that they choose.”
Contact Peninsula Community Legal Centre for free advice on 9783 3600 or email pclc@pclc.org.au
