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24.01.2022 Need a rent reduction? Want to know more about the $3000 rental relief grant that Victorian tenants suffering hardship may be eligible for? We’ve created a #Covid19Vic rent reduction guide to lead you through each step of the process, including extra tips and resources. https://www.tenantsvic.org.au//reso/RentReductionGuide.pdf... Please share with friends, family, or anyone else who you think this information would benefit. Stay safe everyone, and remember you’re not alone.

23.01.2022 Renters who lost their jobs or hours have shouldered great burdens in a tough year for us all. (This week's) Victorian Budget announcements, with their focus on jobs and housing, offer a framework of hope as the state mounts its recovery into 2021 We sincerely hope the Federal Government will come to see the wisdom and social dividends in also investing in safe, secure and affordable housing for the post-pandemic world. With the announcement of the State government’s budget yesterday our CEO, Jennifer Beveridge was optimistic about the commitment to social housing.

22.01.2022 "COVID-19 gives us the chance to say, ‘what housing system do we want to see?’ (and) provide housing of a good standard that allows people to live healthy and productive lives". The report declared delivering more secure and affordable housing was fundamental to the nation’s post-COVID economic recovery. At Tenants Victoria, we 100% endorse these comments. See below for Herald Sun's (realestate.com.au) coverage of the AHURi report.

21.01.2022 The director [of] Consumer Affairs Victoria has sought assurance from the Real Estate Institute of Victoria that it is not advising estate agents and their representatives to breach their legal obligations, and will consider if further action is required. We have heard from tenants about the challenges they've had in dealing with some real estate agents during COVID19, and we're aware of people experiencing difficulty progressing their rent reductions. Remember the Victoria...n Government has extended rental protections until March 2021 for those facing financial hardship. You have the right as a renter to seek a rent reduction. If you don’t hear from the landlord or real estate agent within a week, step it up to Consumer Affairs Victoria. Stay safe everyone. We'll make sure to keep you up to date with the latest tenancy news as it happens. https://www.domain.com.au//reiv-calls-to-strike-on-rent-n/

19.01.2022 TONIGHT: Join us at 7:30! Our skilled tenancy lawyer Georga Wootton is looking forward to participating in this helpful #housing episode with ABC-radio’s Raf Epstein, in partnership with Victorian Council of Social Service. So good that captioning includes community languages Arabic, Hindi and simplified Chinese. @CommunityLawVic @ethnicvic

18.01.2022 Our FB Q&A is back! Thanks to everyone for sending through questions for this week’s Facebook Q&A session. Our Director of Community Engagement Farah Farouque and tenancy lawyer Georga Wootton discussed #Covid19Vic topics such as urgent repairs, periodic leases, notice to vacate letters, evictions and more. Here’s a list of useful timestamps if you’d like to jump into individual topics quickly. We’ll add more handy resources in the comments section. ... (0:00) Introduction (0:54) Summary of recent events and questions sent to Tenants Victoria (2:26) What if I get a notice to vacate during the pandemic? Are they allowed? (4:13) Is there a general ban on evictions? What protections are in place? What is the process? (5:54) How should I respond to a notice to vacate? (7:42) Is there a quick way to get a rent reduction? (9:48) Will there be repercussions if you ask for a rent reduction? (10:05) Steps of getting a rent reduction (13:37) Rent relief grant (15:28) Available online resources for tenants (16:33) What if I have an urgent repair during the pandemic? Can I ask for compensation if the repair is not fixed? Which ways can I request a repair? (24:21) Can I get a rent reduction if I’m a periodic (month-to-month) lease? (27:00) Is ‘COVID Normal’ really that normal? (27:27) Why you shouldn’t wait more than a week for a response from your landlord (27:48) Closing comments resources, pep-talk, upcoming changes

17.01.2022 Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the launch of #16DaysOfActivism, which call attention to the urgent need to end gender-related violence across the globe. Here are some valuable resources from our website, which detail support for tenants who may be experiencing violence within their homes. Please share with anyone in your life that may find these useful.... #16DaysCampaign #16Days #OrangeTheWorld

16.01.2022 Are you an international student living in a rooming house or similar accommodation? Are you passionate about student welfare and wellbeing? If you answered 'yes' to these questions, we invite you to join our new Student Advisory Group, where you can share your ideas about creating better support for international students. For each meeting you contribute to you will also receive a $50 gift voucher. Applications close 16 November 2020. Please email Divvya Sivarajah at [email protected] for more information on how to apply. #studymelbourne

15.01.2022 At Tenants Victoria, we’re passionate about providing practical advice and useful resources to renters in need, especially in a year like this one. We’ve been working closely with the Victorian Government, Ministers and their departments to ensure renters’ experiences were part of the conversation in the protection of homes and health during this pandemic. In the past year, our legal team has answered 9999 enquires and our website has received 1.76 million page views, up one quarter from the previous year. You can read our 2019-2020 Annual Report here tenantsvic.org.au/about-us/annual-reports/

15.01.2022 Victoria is now easing into its new ‘COVID Normal’. What does this mean for renters? Our Facebook Q&A sessions are back again in November. Tenants Victoria’s Director of Community Engagement Farah Farouque and tenancy lawyer Georga Wootton are tackling this topic and more in a Q&A session this week, where renters can send us questions on #Covid19Vic issues as well as on general tenancy issues such as keeping pets. ... Send through your curly questions by commenting below by 5 pm on Wednesday 4 November (limit to 1-4 sentences please!). We'll be posting the video answering your questions this Friday 6 November at around 1pm.

15.01.2022 "While rental scams have always been a very concerning issue for Victoria, the reported rise in number of scams is very disturbing." Our tenancy lawyer Ben Cording talks to the Herald Sun's Realestate.com.au about rental scams and recommends some useful tips to protect yourself while searching for housing during #COVID19Vic. We'll make sure to keep you updated with information about relevant tenancy news as it happens. Keep staying safe everyone.

11.01.2022 Our Facebook Q&A sessions are back for October! A roadmap out of the lockdown towards a ‘COVID normal’ is in the wings. But what does this mean for tenants still affected by the pandemic? Tenants Victoria’s Director of Community Engagement Farah Farouque and tenancy lawyer Georga Wootton are tackling the topic in a Q&A session this week, where tenants can send us questions on #Covid19Vic issues as well as on general tenancy issues such as keeping pets. ... Send through your curly questions by commenting below by 3pm on Wednesday 21 October (limit to 1-4 sentences please!). We'll be posting the video answering your questions this Friday 23 October at around 1pm. Victorian Council of Social Service

10.01.2022 Thanks to everyone who sent in questions for this week’s Facebook Q&A session. Our Director of Community Engagement Farah Farouque and tenancy lawyer Georga Wootton discussed several topics such as #Covid19Vic rent reductions, inspections, urgent repairs, and more. Here’s a list of useful timestamps if you’d like to jump into individual topics in a hurry. We’ll also post extra resources mentioned in the session in the comments section. Until next time!... (0:00) Introduction (1:08) Rent reductions legislation (1:29) Rent reductions Can I still apply/ Can I reapply if an existing rent reduction has run out? (2:33) Online rent reduction letters (2:52) How long do I wait for the landlord to respond to a rent reduction? (2:59) Lodging your rent reduction with Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) (3:31) How will Consumer Affairs Victoria assist you? (4:37) What if they refer you to mediation? (5:23) How will mediation help you with rental payments + mediation processes (7:05) What if in mediation an agreement can’t be reached? (7:35) Info on the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) (8:29) Would you still be eligible for a rent reduction if you were behind on rent before the pandemic? (9:51) Recent communications from Consumer Affairs Victoria to renters (10:29) Information on the rent relief grant (up to $3000) (12:25) Are property inspections allowed in Melbourne? (13:59) Are auctions allowed? (14:52) Can I refuse entry into my home for a COVID-19 reason?/ What is a valid COVID-19 reason? (15:33) Update on Tenants Victoria’s phone advice service/online resources/rent reduction guide (17:13) Urgent repairs what is considered an urgent repair ? What if the real estate agent or landlord says ‘No’? (19:37) Closing comments

08.01.2022 Join the Victorian Afghan Associations Network Inc today at 3pm, for the final session in the excellent series of live discussions. Jump in and pop a question you may have about renting, rent reductions, or your rights as a renter during COVID-19 in the comments! Presented in English and Dari (). With thanks to Ali Nazari, Zabi Mazoori, and tenancy lawyer Georga Wootton.

07.01.2022 How will the pandemic affect the future of housing in Victoria? Join our tenancy lawyer Georga Wootton, Raf Epstein, and other guests as we discuss the COVID-19 housing crisis in a lively session this Thursday, September 10th, at 7:30pm. The video recordings will be captioned in English, Arabic (), Hindi () and Simplified Chinese () to reach as many Victorians as possible.... Thank you 774 ABC Melbourne and Victorian Council of Social Service for hosting this event at this challenging time in our community. Stay safe everyone. #COVID19Vic

07.01.2022 Join us this Wednesday at 3pm (September 30th) for The Renters' Rights Rundown. During this free, online event we'll chat with Victorian Council of Social Service CEO Emma King about the emergency rental measures, which tenants are most affected, and what support is available. We'll also have a FAQ session where we'll do our best to respond to your queries. ... For your free ticket and more event info, click below

06.01.2022 Happy International Tenants Day! Last week Tenants Victoria senior lawyer Matthew Andrea chatted with the Victorian Council of Social Service's CEO Emma King about the emergency rental measures, which tenants are most affected, and what practical support is available. The session is a digestible 30 minutes and will help demystify the laws surrounding tenancy issues during the pandemic. Click below to watch and visit the VCOSS website for a video transcript and extra resources.

05.01.2022 If you or your housemates’ income has dropped, and you’re worried about making rent don't panic just yet. If you do need to move out, you can break your lease early and not face financial penalties but only in specific circumstances. Remember, income includes the reduction of JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments. To learn more and see if you qualify visit: tenantsvic.org.au/ad/coronavirus-covid-19/movingoutcovid19/

03.01.2022 Have a question about renting? Don't miss your chance! Send through your questions! We've extended the question deadline to 10am 22 October. Comment in the original post below

03.01.2022 Yes, Melburnians, renters CAN move during #Covid19Vic stage 4 restrictions. We tackled this common question and more in a recent interview with the Herald Sun's Realestate.com.au

02.01.2022 Dear renters of Victoria (there are 2 million of you ), We know that staying safe in your rented home is also about protecting public health. Many of you who have lost jobs and/or hours are facing challenging financial times under the restrictions and lockdowns from COVID-19. You don't have to bear this alone.... Victoria has rental protections in place until March 2021. The scheme for renters encourages people to seek rent reductions, and there are incentives for both tenants AND landlords to have 'good faith'-fair-go-negotiations. If the tenant is granted a rent reduction, the landlord can also benefit from land tax concessions. A rent relief grant of up to $3000 for eligible tenants facing hardship, is also directly paid to the landlord towards the reduced rent. If you've sent a letter to your landlord, make sure you don't wait more than a week for a response. Here's a handy resource to help lead you through the step-by-step process: https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au//work-out-how-much-rent-yo Stay safe everyone. #Covid19Vic Victorian Council of Social Service

01.01.2022 Tomorrow, join Ali Nazari, Zabi Mazoori, and tenancy lawyer Georga Wootton for the final instalment of this special Q and A series hosted by the Victorian Afghan Associations Network Inc, presented in English and Dari ().