NSW Rental Commissioner Trina Jones wants a fairer go for renters

The state’s new ‘rental cop’ has put landlords on notice as thousands of renters flood the government with stories of shock evictions, unfair rent rises and horror conditions.

The state’s new “rental cop” has put landlords on notice as thousands of renters flooded the state government with stories of shock evictions, unfair rent rises and horror conditions.

The magnitude of Sydney’s rental crisis has been laid bare to NSW Rental Commissioner Trina Jones by the “record-breaking” response received to a proposed overhaul of rental laws.

With almost one in three people renting their home, the Minns government sought feedback on proposed legislation changes such as removing “no grounds” evictions, making it easier for renters to keep pets, protecting personal information held by real estate agents, and making it easier to transfer rental bonds from one property to another.

A record 16,000 people replied via a survey, another 400 wrote a submission, almost 3000 downloaded a consultation paper and a record 47,000 visited the “have your say” website.

“This is the largest number of survey responses and submissions ever received through the ‘Have your say’ platform,” Fair Trading Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said.

New NSW Rental Commissioner Trina Jones wants a fairer system for renters. Picture: Supplied

While Ms Jones is yet to finish sifting through the responses — “My goal is to read them all” — they include a renter, who had previously been homeless, thrown out of a one-bedroom unit seven months into a year-long lease, after a $200-a-week rent increase for another unit in the block

Another renter wrote how the landlord had claimed their eviction was because they wanted to move back into to the property — only for the home to be readvertised a few weeks later at a higher rent.

Demand for rental properties in NSW is high, pictured above is a line of people wanting to view a rental property in Paddington in June. Picture: Liam Kidston

Ms Jones said she empathised with renters, having lived in multiple share houses after growing up in social housing.

The former Homelessness NSW CEO said it was her mission to improve the system, given its failures could for some people lead to homelessness.

Along with improving eviction laws, Ms Jones said she wanted to see renters be able make a rental property more their “a home”, such as being able to set up a baby gate, put a picture on the wall or have a pet.

The inability for renters to raise issues with a property without being fearful of being evicted or facing a sudden rent increase also had to stop, she said.

“A lot of landlords do the right thing. For many, they only own that one additional property, and we know many also are facing significant financial pressures – there is stress on both sides,” she said.

“But when you rent a house, it’s your home.”

Mr Chanthivong said there was an “unbelievable appetite” for a fairer set of rules, with a “record-breaking response to our plans to stop people being turfed from their homes for no good reason and to make the system fairer.”

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