State government announces $160m Renters Relief Package to help battling tenants

The Miles government has announced a $160m relief package to help battling tenants amid Queensland’s housing crisis.

• Watch: The Rental Hunger Games

The Miles government will provide bridging loans for rental bonds as part of a $160m package to help battling tenants amid the state’s housing crisis.

Bonds will also be able to be transferred between rental properties and the government will crack down on dodgy practices such as rent bidding under the initiative to be announced on Sunday.

The Sunday Mail has obtained exclusive details of the “Renters Relief Package” which Mr Miles said would help ease the burden on Queensland’s 1.8 million renters.

Bonds for rentals in Queensland are typically four weeks and often amount to thousands of dollars. The Department of Housing already provides bond loans and rental grants to struggling renters.

Premier Steven Miles.

Under the relief package, the government will establish a portable bond scheme allowing tenants to transfer bonds when relocating from one rental property to another.

“While this scheme is being established, a Bridging Bond Loan product will be introduced to assist households to afford the upfront cost of a new bond, pending release of their old bond,” a government spokesperson said.

“A new rental sector Code of Conduct will be explored with all parties to crack down on dodgy and unprofessional practices and ensure better protections for renters.

“Rent bidding (where prospective tenants are encouraged to outbid each other for properties) will be banned and penalties will be enforced against agents who engage or encourage these practices.”

The package will also involve additional funding for the government’s more than 20 private rental products and services, with eligibility criteria for renters to be widened.

The state government has announced a $160m package to help battling tenants.

The government will also double the number of specialist customer service staff in the state’s 21 Housing Service Centres by hiring an additional 42 RentConnect officers.

“These vital frontline workers will help connect renters with the support and services they need to get and keep a rental home,” the spokesperson said.

Mr Miles said the scheme – part of the government’s much-vaunted Homes for Queenslanders initiative to tackle the housing crisis – would help the more than one in three Queenslanders who rented their homes.

“Our plan makes sure Queensland renters get a fair go and have the supports they need to ease the cost of keeping a roof over their head,” he said.

“Through this package, we hope to ease the cost of getting into a home and help renters to save the money they need for a house deposit.

“And, we are putting tough new laws in place to stop rent bidding and crackdown on dodgy practices.

“Queenslanders can trust that my government will be behind them at every step of their housing journey.”