Tenants' Union of Tasmania in Hobart, Tasmania | Non-profit organisation

Tenants' Union of Tasmania

Locality: Hobart, Tasmania

Phone: +61 1300 652 641

Address: 166 Macquarie Street 7000 Hobart, TAS, Australia

Website: http://www.tutas.org.au

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• Community organisation

25.01.2022 Ahead of the debate in parliament today a coalition of community groups have written to the Premier calling for a commitment that greater protections will be provided to residential tenants. https://bit.ly/2LgpxDn

24.01.2022 More than a decade ago, the Tasmania Law Reform Institute recommended a Human Rights Act be enacted in Tasmania that included the right to adequate housing. A Re-Examination of the Case for a Human Rights Act in Tasmania is currently being undertaken. Find our response here: https://bit.ly/3nFfdpg

24.01.2022 Join UTAS Law Faculty's Covid-19 Tenancy and Housing Vulnerability webinar tonight at 5pm featuring Shelter Tasmania CEO Pattie Chugg, JusTas CEO Don McCrae and the Tenants' Union of Tasmania Acting Principal Solicitor Ben Bartl.

23.01.2022 Make an appointment! If you have a tenancy issue we are more than happy to meet you at our Hobart office. Our waiting area, which we share with Hobart Community Legal Service has a limited capacity of 5 people due to COVID-19 restrictions. We kindly ask you to make an appointment to speak to one of our lawyers by contacting us on 6223 2641 (leave a message) or email to [email protected] to help us manage the number of visitors.... Your TUT

23.01.2022 Just under 40 per cent of renters said they did not have enough money left over after paying rent to afford bills, clothing, transport and food during the pandemic. This is what the Renting in the Time of COVID-19 report, published today by Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute - AHURI has found. https://ab.co/34ZQDaZ

23.01.2022 12 per cent of the entire private rental market in the Hobart city council municipality has been consumed by short-term accommodation. This has come at the expense of long-term tenants. Have you been driven out of HCC because your rental was converted to Airbnb or because of skyrocketing rents?

21.01.2022 We recently provided evidence to a Parliamentary Committee about COVID-19 and protections for residential tenants. We recommended that the freeze on rent increases and the ban on evictions be extended for another three months. Read about it in today's Examiner: https://bit.ly/2WVP0Za

21.01.2022 Applications for the Residential Rent Relief Grant open today. Shelter Tasmania published this guide on who it is for and how to apply.

21.01.2022 A tenant has recently been asked to sign a standard lease agreement that asks them to agree to using an App developed by the Real Estate Agency so that they have access to rental payments, maintenance requests but then notes "fees may apply". Just to be clear, real estate agencies and private landlords cannot ask you to pay a fee on top of your rent, even if it is to use an app. They can also not ask that you pay a late fee if your rent is overdue.

21.01.2022 A number of reports have recently been released noting that despite short-term accommodation having been returned to long-term tenants rents have either remained steady or only dropped slightly. With unemployment likely to remain high for a number of years, the State Government should use the closure of Tasmania's borders as an opportunity to regulate the short-term accommodation sector including a ban on investment properties and a cap on the number of nights. https://www.abc.net.au//tas-deloitte-report-tough/12427402

18.01.2022 The government has posted a fact sheet regarding the rent relief scheme. Applications will open up on 25 May through https://www.communities.tas.gov.au/housing/rental-services You will first need to negotiate a rent reduction with your landlord/agent. If you need help doing so, please call and leave a message on 6223 2641.

18.01.2022 Well done to Jax Ewin, nipaluna/Hobart City Councillor, Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds and the majority of Hobart City Council Aldermen/Councillors who last night agreed to prepare a report on capping the 12 per cent of the HCC private rental market that has been consumed by the short-term accommodation sector. And well done to landlords like Amy who have put people before profits. https://ab.co/3gYZu2l

17.01.2022 With the eviction moratorium set to end on 1 December, now is the time to apply for support to repay rental arrears, that were accrued due to changed circumstances during the global pandemic. Until 1 December 2020 you can apply for 1) Rent Relief Fund I... 2) Rent Relief Fund II 3) Landlord Support Fund Furthermore, tenants can now apply to the Residential Tenancy Commissioner for a 4) Rent Arrears Payment Order. Find more details on these options here: http://tutas.org.au/rental-arrears-due-to-covid-19/ and here: https://bit.ly/3fb4Erc

17.01.2022 Sam has spent three years fighting for a solution to her private rental's sagging and unstable floor, mould infestation and water damage. The Residential Tenancy Commissioner recently ordered the landlord to carry out the necessary repairs. The landlord has refused and the maximum fine that the RTC can impose is $1700. Read Sam's story here:... https://bit.ly/3bWxfim

16.01.2022 What’s been your experience of COVID-19 rent negotiations? Researchers at UNSW are conducting a survey of renters, and participants go in to the draw for a $500 voucher. You can read more information and participate in the survey at unsw.to/covidrent

16.01.2022 We're back! The Tenants' Union of Tasmania will be providing face to face advice by appointment in Hobart and Launceston from next week Tuesday 21 July 2020. If you would like to book an appointment, please contact us on 6223 2641 (leave a message) or [email protected]... Please do not attend our offices if you have symptoms associated with COVID-19 or are required to self isolate/quarantine, and adhere to hygiene and physical distancing recommendations.

16.01.2022 Media call for tenants affected by the jobseeker cut: Earlier this week the Jobseeker payment was cut from $1100 to $800 per fortnight. With Hobart having the most unaffordable capital city rents in Australia and regional Tasmania the most unaffordable regional rents in Australia, we are very concerned at the financial stress this $300 payment reduction will have on tenants. Are you concerned? Do you have a story to share?... . . . . . Photo: media interview by stevebustin CC BY-ND 2.0 See more

16.01.2022 Yesterday, we received a present of $8.00 of old currency from a tenant who was appreciative of our work. Anthony at our local cafe @BoutiqueEspresso was more than happy for us to pay for our coffees using the money. Thank you for the lovely present Voz Londy!

15.01.2022 The eviction and rent increase moratorium is ending on 30 September 2020 if the Premier does not extend it. Are you worried about being evicted or receiving a rent increase? If so, a local media organisation is interested in hearing your story on camera. Send us a message with your best contact phone number.... . . . . . . Photo: media interview by stevebustin CC BY-ND 2.0 See more

15.01.2022 Stuart McKleaine's rent increase of $20 per week was automatically deducted from his account three times over the last six months, despite there being a moratorium on rent increases until February 2021. Please remember no-one's rent should have increased since March 2020. If you have been paying a rent increase, contact your real estate agency or landlord and ask to be reimbursed. https://bit.ly/3h6cAuX

15.01.2022 There’s still time to put in your application!

14.01.2022 The moratorium on rent increases and evictions has been extended until 1 December 2020. As well, tenants in financial hardship will be able to apply again for up to $2000 through the Rent Relief Scheme and landlords will be able to apply for up to $2000 to go towards any outstanding rent arrears. More information is available here: http://www.premier.tas.gov.au//extending_support_for_tasma

13.01.2022 The government has announced today that: 1. The suspension of evictions for rental arrears will be extended to 30 September; 2. The suspension of rent increases will be extended to 30 September;... 3. The suspension of most other grounds of eviction will be extended to 30 September, except where the lease is for a non-fixed period and the landlord wants to significantly renovate the property, has sold the property, wants to move in themselves, or wants family members to move in to the property (please contact the Tenants' Union if you receive a notice to vacate for one of these reasons and do not want to vacate); and 4. The suspension of inspections and viewings will be lifted from 30 June. Agents and landlords will be required to follow Work Safe guidelines: https://worksafe.tas.gov.au//COVID-Safe-Workplace-Guidelin

12.01.2022 The re-opening of Tasmania's borders may see increased interest in tree-changers and sea-changers from mainland Australia looking to rent or buy. Do you rent or are you looking to rent in a bush or coastal setting? Are rents affordable? Are you worried that rents may become unaffordable? . . . .... . Image: Media interview by stevebustin CC BY-ND 2.0 See more

10.01.2022 Our friends at Better Renting have set up a survey to better understand the impact Coronavirus and the measures to slow its spread are having on renters all across Australia. Sharing your story will help us provide the best possible advocacy. Take the 5 minute survey here: https://www.rentingandcoronavirus.com.au/

10.01.2022 Today the State Government announced that the moratorium on evictions and rent increases has been extended until 31 January 2021. No rent increase until after 31 January 2021. No evictions for tenants on fixed-term lease agreements until after 31 January 2021. ... As well, tenants can apply for a third grant under the Residential Rent Relief Scheme of up to $2000 towards rent arrears. And, landlords can also apply for a second grant of up to $2000 for rent arrears under the Landlord Support Fund. In short, no evictions and no rent increases before 31 January 2021 and payments of up to $4000 on top of what has already been paid out to tenants and landlords. For more information: https://cbos.tas.gov.au//residential-rental-relief-extra-s and https://cbos.tas.gov.au//landlord-support-fund-application

09.01.2022 Have you recently obtained accommodation due to COVID-19 and are you expected to move out once things stabilise? Are you on a short-term lease and worried that your landlord might ask you to move once the borders re-open? Let us know your story. . . . .... . Photo: BT Artbox City of Birds by Karen Roe CC By 2.0 See more

09.01.2022 Currently, residential tenants may only be evicted if the landlord can prove that the reason for their eviction is 'genuine and just' (s45(3)(b) of the Act). This is a very important protection, particularly for social housing tenants who are at increased risk of homelessness in the event that they are evicted. Yesterday in Tasmania's Parliament, the Government provided an assurance that they would not remove this important protection. Cartoon by Kudelka, published in the Saturday Mercury.

08.01.2022 We have 2-3 vacancies for new volunteers. Send your expression of interest to [email protected]

07.01.2022 We seek a motivated solicitor who is committed to social justice and tenants’ rights to join the Tenants' Union in Launceston. Find more info here: http://tutas.org.au/about/job-vacancies/

07.01.2022 Last year, we asked the Residential Tenancy Commissioner (RTC), who is in charge of enforcing tenants’ rights, how often they had fined landlords for breaching the law. The answer was seven fines in five years, in response to 365 well-founded complaints. That means less than 2% of landlords who have done the wrong thing have faced any consequences. No landlord has ever been fined for breaching minimum standards. Mr Billett contacted the RTC in June last year about his propert...y, which was mouldy, waterlogged, and generally not in good repair. Nothing was done. Eventually, in October, the local council declared the property uninhabitable. Still, the RTC took no action against the landlord. We think it is unacceptable that over 98% of the time landlords face no consequences from the RTC for doing the wrong thing, despite causing so much stress and suffering for tenants. https://bit.ly/3i5r0Me

06.01.2022 A tenant recently called as they had received a notice of rental arrears. The notice came as a surprise to them as they had always paid their rent on time. The Real Estate Agent explained that the rent owing was due to a rent increase issued during the COVID-19 emergency period that the tenant had not been paying. Please remember that any notice of a rent increase between April and 1 December is not valid.... Have you received a letter from your agent or owner requesting rent due to a rent increase during COVID-19? Tell us your story!

05.01.2022 A tenant who is breaking their lease was recently sent the attached break lease costs by a Real Estate Agency. There is no such thing as a break lease fee! It is time that the Residential Tenancy Commissioner started fining agencies that are intentionally breaking the law. As the Residential Tenancy Commissioner notes Where a tenant vacates a property before the end of the lease, an owner can claim for advertising. This will need to be appropriately evidenced and the lengt...h of time remaining on the lease will be considered. An owner cannot claim for their own time spent reletting the property as this is not an actual financial loss; or for the cost of their agent to do so as this is not considered to be a cost directly related to a tenant’s obligations under the Act. Break lease fees are also in contravention of section 17 of the Act." See more

05.01.2022 According to the latest CoreLogic data rents in Hobart have dropped. Have you been able to negotiate a lower rent? Or, are you looking for a rental and expecting to be able to negotiate a lower rent? A media organisation in Hobart is looking to interview someone on camera today if interested. Send us a message.... . . . . . . Photo: media interview by stevebustin CC BY-ND 2.0 See more

03.01.2022 Today the government announced a rent-relief package for tenants facing stress due to COVID-19. Up to $2,000 will be provided for tenants who can show that they: -Have been affected by COVID-19;... -Are paying more than 30% of their income on rent; and -Have less than $5,000 in savings. It will be available to: -Normal tenants; -Sub-tenants; -Lodgers; -Boarders; and -Share-house occupants. Temporary visa holders will be able to apply, as well as Australian citizens and permanent residents. Tenants will be able to apply for assistance through Housing Connect from next week. We will not the know the specifics of how to apply until then. Please contact us if you need help applying for assistance, and please help us spread the word that this relief is available.

03.01.2022 Yesterday, a coalition of community groups wrote to the Premier calling for an extension of the moratorium on evictions and rent increases until the end of the year and calling for further financial support for tenants who can demonstrate ongoing financial hardship. Find the letter here: https://bit.ly/3b0J9Y7

02.01.2022 With high unemployment and a COVID-19 vaccine yet to be rolled out, we are calling for an extension of the eviction and rent increase moratorium until the end of March 2021. This would also bring us into line with NSW, VIC, ACT, SA and WA. https://ab.co/3opMo1e

02.01.2022 The ABC has published a comic on what it is like to be a tenant during the Covid-19 pandemic and dealing with unsympathetic property managers and sales agents that treat you like an annoyance. Judging by our calls, we're sure a lot of you will relate!