The Minns Labor Government is delivering on its election commitment to improve rental laws and
help make renting fairer for 11,209 households in Blacktown.

The Government’s suite of new measures to make renting fairer will be introduced to the Parliament
in October.

The NSW Government is also launching a petition calling on renters in NSW to show their support
for making renting fairer for everybody.

More people are renting than ever before, with around 33 per cent of the NSW population renting,
an increase of 17.6 per cent since 2016 including 35.6% in Blacktown.

However, the current rental market in NSW is the toughest that renters have seen for decades with
historically low vacancy rates, median rent prices increasing by around 7 per cent over the last 12
months, and a system that leaves them vulnerable to eviction at any time.

The Minns Labor Government’s rental package includes:

• No grounds evictions – We’re establishing a set of reasonable grounds to end a lease, giving
  greater certainty to renters and owners. Property owners will now need a reason to end a
  tenancy for both periodic and fixed term leases.
• Banning fees for background checks – Renters will no longer be charged for background
  checks when they’re applying for a rental property.
• Ensuring tenants have a free way to pay rent – Property owners and agents will be required
  to offer free ways to pay, such as bank transfer and the Commonwealth Government’s
  Centrepay. 
• Making it easier for tenants to have pets in rentals – Reforms to make it easier to have pets in
  rentals, by introducing a new fairer and more streamlined application process.

These important changes come alongside other key initiatives:

• Portable bond scheme – Investing $6.6 million to develop and deliver the nation’s first
  Portable Rental Bonds Scheme. This means eligible renters can move homes and digitally
  transfer their existing bond with them.
• Establishing Rent Check – A new, free website renters can use to help check whether the
  rent they’re being asked to pay is fair.
• Rental Taskforce within NSW Fair Trading – Investing $8.4 million in a taskforce with
  investigators, inspectors and support teams to help renters and act on serious breaches of
  rental laws.

This legislation has been developed working with housing providers, rental advocates, and property
stakeholders including more than 16,000 submissions from across NSW.

You can add your voice to the petition here: https://www.homes4nsw.com.au/

Quotes attributable to Premier Chris Minns:

• “Anyone who rents in New South Wales knows just how anxious and challenging renting can be at
  the moment. We’ve all seen the lines on a Saturday morning with hundreds of people waiting to
  inspect new properties.”
• “We believe this reform gets the balance right, but importantly, this will give both homeowners and
  renters more certainty, more peace of mind, so they can build a home and a life on surer ground.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong:

• “We know that renters have been calling out for change so we’ve developed a broad package that
  will make renting fairer and increase clarity for property owners.”
• “There are 2.2 million renters across the state and we’re getting on with the job to create a more
  modern rental market that works for property owners and renters alike.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Blacktown Stephen Bali:

• “The Minns Labor Government wants to make renting fairer by ending no-grounds evictions and
  improving rental laws.”
• “It means that landlords won’t be able to evict you just because they want to jack up your rent.”
• "We’re launching this petition so the thousands of renters can add their support to our rental laws so
  we can ensure this gets through NSW Parliament.”