NSW Government to change eviction rules

Building up to last years state election one of the biggest issues concerning many citizens was the ever growing cost of living, in particular the soaring housing prices, both for purchasing and rental.

Of cause both major powers made promises to address these serious issues and yet since the election where Labor gained the political victory conditions have appeared to get worse.

Earlier this year, Liberal Shadow Minister for Fair Trading, Work Health and Safety and Building Tim James MP was quoted on the Liberal party website as saying,

“We are in the midst of Labor’s cost of living crisis with renters struggling every day paying sky high rents,” and “Over Labor’s year in power, rents in Greater Sydney have increased by more than 13%. The proportion of rental housing accessible to a median income earner in NSW has fallen from 35% in 2022-23 to 28% in 2023-24. By contrast, the Liberal and Nationals Government achieved a record high of 48% in 2020-21.”

Sadly for those struggling to pay rent, the evidence is quickly stacking up in support the claims of Mr. James, who also added another comment, which also seems to have much validity.

“The NSW Rental Commissioner was meant to give renters a voice but has so far delivered little real action due to being under-resourced and under-funded.” Tim James MP

However, it is expected that the present state government will move to legislate a ban on evictions without a”reasonable” excuse, which would include factors such as the tenant being destructive or the sale of the property in question.

Although at the time of this story being written the exact details of theproposed changes had not been made public, NSW Premier Chris Minns has been quoted as saying

“We believe this reform gets the balance right, but importantly, this will give both homeowners and renters more certainty, more peace of mind, so they can build a home and a life on surer ground”, and adding “But anyone who rents in NSW knows just how anxious and challenging renting can be at the moment. We’ve all seen the lines on a Saturday morning with hundreds of people waiting to inspect new properties.”

Whether this will prove to be a positive action in the long term remains to be seen as Landlords have warned it may turn off potential investors resulting in lower rental properties but only time will tell.