Marrickville the worst NSW suburb for mould complaints in rental homes and social housing
ONE inner west suburb has been outed as the worst suburb in NSW for complaints about mould infestations in rental homes, prompting calls for an overhaul of tenancy laws to protect renters.
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MARRICKVILLE has been outed as the worst suburb in NSW for complaints about mould infestations in rental homes, prompting calls for an overhaul of tenancy laws to protect renters.
A Federal inquiry into illnesses related to mould damage has revealed a shocking look into the state of some of the inner west’s most neglected rental properties and the challenges tenants are facing to have landlords carry out basic repairs.
Of the 433 submissions collected for the inquiry by the National Association of Tenant Organisations, the majority in NSW originated from Marrickville.
Submissions included cases of tenants facing excessive rent hikes and forced evictions in response to requests to have mould damage addressed by landlords.
There were also cases of renters experiencing health impacts including respiratory disease, and instances of renters disrupting their lives by moving regularly.
The suburb’s prominence in the list has seen many renters turn to the Marrickville Legal Centre for advice on how to have complaints dealt with.
Martin Baker, a tenants advocate at the centre, said many tenants put up with the problems, regardless of the health concerns, due to the worry of eviction in a tough rental market.
“We’re getting calls about mould every week and it’s an increasing issue for people in private rentals and social housing,” he said.
“Families have come to us saying their children are having to sleep in the lounge room because there’s too much mould in their bedroom.
“We’ve also seen cases where people are moving out and staying at friends’ homes because of asthma.
“Often tenants are reluctant to raise the concerns with landlords because there’s a fear they might be evicted.”
Mr Baker said possible factors for Marrickville’s high ranking included the age of properties in the suburb and demand for rental housing which gives landlords the “upper hand”.
While renters can apply to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal for orders to have repairs carried out, the process is often challenging for renters due to tenancy laws that protect owners more than they do tenants.
The Residential Tenancies Act requires landlords to keep properties in a “reasonable state of repair”, however does not offer a clear definition or explicitly mentions mould.
The Tenants Union of NSW said tenants’ ability to enforce these obligations was hampered by “no grounds evictions” which can be used at the end of fixed-term contracts or during periodic agreements.
Newtown State Greens MP Jenny Leong said proposed amendments to the Act, debated in Parliament last week, fall short of eliminating no-grounds evictions.
“Unless tenants are protected, a dodgy landlord can simply punish a tenant for raising concerns, using a retaliatory no grounds eviction,” she said.
The federal inquiry is considering implementing minimum standards for dwellings to address issues of damp and ventilation.
The Real Estate Institute of NSW has challenged the recommendations, stating that mould is often “an easy scapegoat and is often identified as the cause of disease”.
FAST FACTS
Mould is a fungus that grows in dark and wet conditions, in areas that are cold and have poor ventilation.
There are hundreds of thousands of types of mould but only about 10 types cause health problems.
The most infamous type is black mould (stachybotrys chartarum) which produces toxic spores that can be inhaled by humans
Symptoms can include wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, throat irritation and asthma.