Billie* was living in a two-bedroom unit near Brisbane, paying $640 per week. As the tenancy agreement came to an end, Billie was offered a new agreement with a $150 per week increase. This increase was unaffordable for Billie, and also, Billie considered the amount was not in line with the market rent for the same type of property in the area. Billie asked the agent to undertake a market comparison, but they refused saying they did not have the time.
Billie therefore looked into the market rent rates themselves and presented the information to the agent. However, the agent refused to negotiate at all.
The next day, Billie received a notice to leave for the ‘End of a Fixed Term’. The fact that you can be arbitrarily evicted from your home at the end of your tenancy agreement is why many renters don’t want to stand up for their rights! It took around 20 applications for tenancies for Billie to find a new home.
The property that Billie moved out of was then advertised for $900 per week – an increase of $260 per week from their agreement.
Unfortunately, renters across Queensland are not just facing arbitrary evictions, they are dealing with rental prices increasing at over three times the rate of the cost-of-living index, at an average of $114 per week. This is the average rent increase of people contacting the tenancy advice service – QSTARS – in the first quarter of this year.
At Make Renting Fair in Queensland we continue to advocate for:
- The removal of the ‘end of a fixed term’ as a ground to end a tenancy
- Rent rises to be restricted to once per annum at the rate of CPI
- Include minimum standards for energy efficiency, for example standards for ceiling insulation
*Name has been changed for privacy reasons
The Queensland Statewide Tenant Advice and Referral Service (QSTARS) is a free statewide advice and referral service for Queensland tenants. The QSTARS program is managed by Tenants Queensland and delivered in collaboration with partner organisations across Queensland.