Do The New Rental Laws in Brisbane Apply To You? Complete Guide

The world is experiencing one of the biggest health and economic crises due to COVID-19 pandemic. The Australian economy is also hit hard by this coronavirus outbreak. The last few months have changed the way people live and the things they did on a daily basis. Many people have lost their jobs while new businesses are shutting down due to lack of finances. Tenants are also facing problems in paying monthly rents to their landlords or property managers. To combat this situation, the government and other official bodies across Australia are working together to support those who are suffering due to COVID-19 in the last 3 to 4 months. The Queensland Government has also introduced new rental laws for tenants and property owners affected by this pandemic. If you are at the end of your tenancy and preparing your rental property for the safe retrieval of bond money, hire experts for the best end of lease cleaning in Brisbane. They will take all the precautionary measures and offer you a safe and sound service at the best price. However, the state government is also encouraging landlords to extend the lease period during the health crises. They have designed new rental laws that you should know if you are a tenant. Here is a complete guide that will help you know whether these laws apply to you or not. Let’s Get Started!

New Rental Laws Introduced by Queensland Government

The Queensland Government has abandoned its COVID-19 rental relief package after the rental estate industry conducted a public campaign charging that the measures only favoured tenants or renters. There is no relief for landlords and property managers. Now, the government designed new laws for both the tenants and landlords affected by this pandemic. The new laws are implemented on a temporary basis, which will last until 31^st of December 2020. Some changes made in the rental laws will protect people and keep them safe inside the homes until the situation gets normal. If you are living in Brisbane and want to explore the benefits of these new laws as a tenant or property manager, then know everything about the Residential Tenancies Practice Guide.

A Complete Guide

In order to deliver protection, financial support and improve the stability in Brisbane rental market, the state government has implemented the following measures:

• Tenants who have no source of income or have suffered hardship because of COVID-19 and those who can’t pay their rents can’t be evicted or listed in a lease database for rent arrears.
• Encouraging landlords and property managers to extend those lease agreements that are expiring in the middle of the global health emergency. Fixed-term agreements will be extended to 30^th September 2020 unless you as a tenant request a shorter term.
• A landlord can end COVID-19 impacted rental tenancies with approved reasons and notice periods.
• Property owners and tenants are allowed to end their tenancy agreement during the COVID-19 pandemic if they are experiencing family and domestic violence with protections.
• A landlord will not force you for routine property repairs, but regulatory obligations will be implemented for your utmost safety in the rental apartment in Brisbane.
• You can refuse physical entry for non-essential reasons, such as inspections, routine repairs, etc. This will be implemented if you or your family member is a vulnerable person.
• Tenants and landlords should work together to maintain the tenancy agreement. If an agreement can’t be reached, both the parties will need to undertake conciliation to resolve rental disputes.

The Residential Tenancy Authority is playing a crucial role in providing support services to tenants, property owners and landlords in Brisbane and other regional cities of Queensland. You can visit their official website to gather more information about new rental laws, tenancy rights and obligations, etc. If you are moving out of your rental apartment, hire highly-trained professionals for the best end of lease cleaning in Brisbane. They can save you from rental disputes by sprucing up the entire premises using the latest supplies and cleaning products.

Eligibility Criteria: Do the New Rental Laws Apply to You?

It is important to know that the new rental laws implemented in the past few months are only for those whose residential tenancies are impacted by this pandemic. If you really want to know whether COVID-19 has impacted your lease, you have to understand the eligibility criteria. You, as a resident or tenant in Brisbane, are suffering extreme hardship due to COVID-19 pandemic should meet the criteria mentioned below:

• You or a family member in your home is suffering or suffers from the novel coronavirus.
• You are eligible for the new rental rules if your office/business is shut down by public health directions.
• You are home-quarantined become someone in your family is vulnerable.
• You are unable to work due to travel restriction.
• The pandemic has stopped you from returning or leaving Australia.
• In case, your household has lost 25 per cent of income.
• The rent payable is 30 per cent or more of your reduced income.

Other Important criteria are :

• Landlords or property managers are facing financial breakdown and want to sell their property because of the novel coronavirus.
• Tenants are facing family and domestic violence and want to end their tenancy.

If you are facing difficulties because of this pandemic, and you need to make changes in the rent payments, consider the following steps: 1. Show all the possible evidence You will need to submit evidence to your landlord or property manager if you want any relief during COVID-19 pandemic. Make sure you meet the above criteria to get the most out of new rental laws (if you are suffering a lot due to this health emergency). You can find a complete list of evidence in the Residential Tenancies Practice Guide. But, make sure you have everything in written while showing evidence to your landlord. 2. Reach your Tenancy Agreement Tenants, property managers and landlords should sit together to reach the tenancy agreement and talk for negotiation. This is one of the important steps that can save you for rental disputes, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you want to end the tenancy and planning to move out, you should deep clean the entire property. According to the tenancy agreement, a tenant is obligated to hand over the rental property in a clean and well-maintained condition. Instead of doing it yourself, hire the best end of lease cleaners in Brisbane who can perform the best cleaning service according to the checklist approved by cleaning experts. This will help you get the full bond back without any conflict. 3. Check for Conciliation Eligibility If you fail to resolve the rental issue, you can apply for free COVID-19 dispute resolution (conciliation). You can take professional assistance from an experienced RTA conciliator who works together with tenants and landlord to resolve the dispute. If you want to see whether you are eligible or not, please complete the self-assessment checklist . 4. Conciliation Application After that, you can apply for conciliation. Also, provide all the evidence of your difficult time like financial crises, loss of a job, etc for quick results. The RTA will take all the possible measures to confirm the request for your dispute resolution as early as possible. They will schedule a time and date through a teleconference. 5. Prepare Yourself Make sure you prepare yourself and carry all the evidence you offered at the time of making your conciliation. Show the evidence such as Centrelink documents, previous salary slips and other documents for better clarity. The Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) conciliator will discuss every single aspect and invite both the parties to help you resolve the rental disputes and get the most out of these new rental rules.

Conclusion

If you are facing hardships in paying monthly rents due to COVID-19 pandemic, then this article is for you. The Queensland government and RTA are supporting both tenants and landlords who are affected by this bad phase. In case, you are moving out of your rental property, you should consider hiring professionals for the best end of lease cleaning in Brisbane and secure your full bond money.