REINT ‘disappointed’ COVID rental measures extended despite evidence suggesting it was unnecessary

THE Territory’s COVID-19 rental measures have been extended, despite the Attorney-General being told it was no longer necessary by the NT’s peak real estate body.

THE Territory’s COVID-19 rental measures have been extended, despite Attorney-General Selena Uibo being told it was no longer necessary by the NT’s peak real estate body.

In an email obtained by the NT News, Real Estate Institute of the Northern Territory chief executive Quentin Kilian told members Ms Uibo decided not to repeal the Residential Tenancies COVID-19 Modification Notice 2020, instead leaving it in place to align with the Declaration of Public Health Emergency, which was extended until June 21, 2021.

The notice gives tenants 60 days notice to leave a property for both fixed term and periodic tenancy agreements.

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Normal protocol is 14 days for fixed term agreements and 42 days for periodic tenancies.

Rent must also be in arrears for 60 days before a notice of intention to terminate can be issued. It was extended from 14 days.

Queensland and South Australia are the only other jurisdictions still with similar measures still in place, however are set to remove them in April and May respectively.

Mr Kilian, who met with Ms Uibo last Friday to discuss the modification, wrote in the email he was “disappointed” in her decision.

“Prior to this meeting the REINT provided the Attorney-General and her Department with a detailed survey indicating that less than one per cent of the overall rental market in the Northern Territory remained impacted by COVID-19 measures and within that group, most tenants were making some form of payment,” he wrote.

“The Minister was also provided with clear advice from her department that it was prudent to repeal the Modification Notice.

“The Minister’s response left us disappointed.”

Mr Kilian told the NT News he feared the modification would harm the recovering rental market.

“Having external constraints on the market actually harms it because you are unnaturally forcing constraints on it,” he said.

“In an emergency period this might be acceptable but there is no emergency now.”

Elders Katherine principal Alison Ross said COVID-19 had not affected the agency’s residential tenancies, but was disappointed the modification had been extended.

“It’s impacted buyers’ abilities to move in to a recently purchased property,” she said.

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“It’s also impacted some owners wanting to get in and do some work. It’s taking longer to get access.”

She urged government to liaise with industry to understand what support the market needs.

Ms Uibo said the notice was always intended to align with the duration of the Public Health Emergency Declaration.

“This is because the Territory Labor Government recognised vulnerable people were under significant financial pressure at the height of this pandemic,” she said.

“The modification notice has been amended three times, gradually returning the regulation of residential tenancies back to the pre-pandemic framework.

“While the Northern Territory leads Australia as the comeback capital, there are still factors at play which could impact tenants during this pandemic, including the end of the federal government’s JobKeeper scheme on March 28.”