WA Rent Reforms - balancing the rights of tenants and landlords

To balance the rights of tenants and landlords and protect consumer interests, the Western Australian government passed the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024 on April 16, 2024. This act will be implemented in stages from May 2024 to mid-2025 to reform rental regulations.

 

Key provisions of this reform include:

 

  • Rent bidding ban:

Landlords or agents must advertise the property with a specified amount, such as $425 per week, rather than a range like $400 to $500 per week. If a tenant initiates an offer, landlords and agents can accept offers higher than the advertised rent but cannot encourage or pressure tenants to offer more than the rent. For example, phrases like "Many people are interested in this property. If you offer a higher rent, you can secure it," or "Others have made offers, would you be willing to offer the same?"

  • 12 month rent rises:

Currently, landlords or agents can increase rent every six months. If the lease agreement has no end date, the minimum 12-month timeframe for each rent increase will apply immediately when the reform begins. For fixed-term leases, once the contract ends, there must be at least a 12-month gap between rent increases.

  • Pets welcome:

In most cases, landlords cannot unreasonably refuse tenants with pets. Tenants need to fill out an approved form and submit it to the landlord or agent. However, landlords can impose reasonable conditions on pet ownership, such as keeping pets outdoors. At the same time, tenants are responsible for repairing any damage or disturbance caused by pets.

  • Home sweet home:

To create a home-like atmosphere for tenants, landlords cannot unreasonably refuse tenants to make minor alterations and changes to the property, such as hanging decorations, installing blackout curtains, or planting gardens. However, landlords can impose reasonable conditions on tenants, such as maintaining the garden well. At the end of the lease, unless accepted by the landlord, tenants must remove alterations and restore the property to its original condition, such as removing hanging paintings, filling wall holes, and repainting walls.

In addition to the above provisions, this reform also simplifies the deposit refund process and allows and encourages tenants to challenge their landlords or agents in court if they believe they have not complied with the new terms. Some details of the provisions are yet to be confirmed, but this wave of reforms by the Western Australian government undoubtedly protects the rights of tenants as consumers.

Source : https://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/consumer-protection/wa-rent-reforms?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=RE%20Industry%20bulletin%20276%20WA%20Rent%20Reforms%20-%20balancing%20the%20rights%20of%20tenants%20and%20landlords&utm_content=RE%20Industry%20bulletin%20276%20WA%20Rent%20Reforms%20-%20balancing%20the%20rights%20of%20tenants%20and%20landlords+CID_5e8d8d2f04a0bdccfd7e0cd00ddf9190&utm_source=CM%20CP%20newsletter&utm_term=WA%20Rent%20Reforms%20-%20Consumer%20Protection%20webpage