Rent bidding to be outlawed

Evan

THE practice of rent bidding will be banned in Queensland from next year.


State Parliament passed legislation last night to respond to the changing private rental market, Housing Minister Robert Schwartensaid.


"There's been skyrocketing rents, the growth in off-campus student accommodation and rental accommodation for seniors, and the emergence of rent bidding or auctions, which I consider to be a most un-Australian and unfair practice,'' Mr Schwarten said.
"Queensland's tenancy laws needed to keep abreast of these changes.''


Rent bidding occurs when the price of a rental property is negotiated, rather than fixed.
Mr Schwarten said the new laws included a number of measures designed to enhance protection of tenants but also balanced the interests of landlords.


Under the new laws rent increases can only be imposed six-monthly, rent bidding is outlawed and the notice period to terminate a tenancy at the end of a fixed term without grounds has increased from two weeks to two months.


The rights of lessors have been enhanced with the inclusion of new grounds of entry to rental properties to check on repairs and whether significant breaches have been remedied.


University on-campus accommodation providers will be required to lodge bonds with the Residential Tenancies Authority.

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