NSW Government’s new Rental Taskforce to crack down on bad landlords, real estate agents

Dodgy landlords and real estate agents have finally met their match in a new rental taskforce tasked with curbing their illegal tricks and tactics. See how it could make your life easier.

Renters still face being evicted for no reason, strict limits on pets, and huge upfront bond payments, with the Minns government yet to bring “long overdue” changes into effect.

While rental reforms which passed parliament last year are still not in place, the Minns government has now established an $8.4 million taskforce to crack down on dodgy real estate agents and landlords.

Fair Trading Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said inspection, audit and compliance blitzes will be carried out across the state in the coming months to hold rogue industry actors accountable.

“Our inspectors will be out in full force to ensure real estate agents and landlords are complying with new and existing rental laws to ease the stress placed on renters by things like no-grounds evictions and rent bidding,” he said.

“While the majority of agents and landlords are doing the right thing, this $8.4m investment targets bad actors who make life tougher for renters.”

Fair Trading Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said the taskforce will target “bad actors who make life tougher for renters”. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

Since the taskforce was announced in the NSW budget last year, a team of specialists have been recruited to analyse trends and activities plaguing the property industry, with recent efforts focused on ensuring renters are not charged unlawful background check fees.

Frenchs Forest father Paul Immergluck, 44, has rented for eight years and said “its taken a while to realise” the rental industry should be regulated like any other.

“The legislation changes that happened last year were fantastic but like any legislation, unless there’s teeth it’s hard to drive change,” he said.

“In the long term, it will also improve the quality of the investor base for rental properties.”

NSW Tenants Union chief executive officer Leo Patterson Ross said the taskforce was long overdue for renters who could place more faith in their local restaurant or tradesmen being subject to regulation than their housing.

“Renting has been rubbish for decades … people have often had to carry the load of enforcing contracts and getting repairs done, and a big part of that is because there hasn’t been a regulator to hold landlords and estate agents to account,” he said.

The taskforce will focus on market fairness for the one in three people in NSW who rent their home. Picture: Adam Yip

Mr Patterson Ross said the taskforce was the first step towards setting “some standards” for the industry, but would require more resources to support the one in three people in NSW who rent their home.

“Delays are frustrating but if it means it is done well and it lasts into the future that is the more important outcome,” he said.

“It’s not enough to respond to all the issues, but it’s a start.”

The government intends to go one step further by delivering the long-awaited Portable Rental Bond Scheme later this year, which would allow renters to digitally transfer existing bonds to new rental properties.

Originally published as NSW Government’s new Rental Taskforce to crack down on bad landlords, real estate agents