Rents in Queensland are increasing at three times the rate of inflation, to an average of $104 per week. This is putting secure and affordable housing out of reach for Queensland families.
1.8 million Queenslanders rent their home. This means nearly 36% of all Queenslanders rent their home, and one in two of these households include dependent children. Renting is increasing across all demographics. This is an issue that impacts all Queenslanders.
The median length of tenancy in Queensland is 17.5 months and 20% of rentals come to an end involuntarily for the tenant. This leaves Queensland families facing a house move every 18 months, and months of uncertainty towards the lease end.
People can’t afford to live close to where they work. This particularly devastates healthcare workers, women, first responders, and critical service workers’, creating more congestion on our transport network and lowering our service delivery.
Just under half of the communities experiencing acute rental stress nationwide are in Queensland.
44% of people would find it difficult to afford a 10% increase in their rent. While many may not currently be in rental stress, they are on the precipice of it.
42% of rental homes are in need of repairs.
Your bond is your money, held by the government until your tenancy ends. Right now, it is a race between tenants and landlords to make the first claim on the bond at the end of a tenancy. This isn’t fair. If your landlord thinks some of your bond should be awarded to them, they should have to make a claim, with evidence, otherwise, it should be automatically returned to you.
Of low income private renters, over 40% pay more than a third of their income on rent, and one in five have less than $250 per fortnight to live on.
There is currently no existing Code of Conduct or similar for property managers and landlords. We know some landlords are consistently doing the wrong thing by renters. A code of conduct would make landlord responsibilities clear, and provide renters with the information they need to protect their rights.
There is currently no transparency or accountability on landlords’ record of conduct. Multiple tenants across time can have exactly the same problem with the same landlord. A record of complaints and poor behaviour by landlords is vital to renter security.