PHOTO: LIZ MCDONALD/STUFF Under the new proposals, the decision at the end of the fixed term would be entirely up to the tenant, with the landlord having no say in the decision.
OPINION: On Sunday, the Coalition Government announced a number of proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act, the Act that controls the residential rental market.
Some of these proposed changes are sensible and have been welcomed by both tenant groups and landlord associations. However, other proposals could create difficulties in some sectors of the rental market and also spill over from just affecting landlords and tenants into causing widespread social disruption potentially affecting all owner-occupiers.
The changes that would limit rent increases to no more than an annual basis and that would allow tenants to attach minor fixtures and fittings onto the property they rent probably reflect the reality of most tenancies. Few landlords resent their tenants hanging pictures on the walls or installing a baby gate. A year or even longer between reassessing the rent level gives a predictable income to the landlord and budgeting certainty to the tenant.
Following submissions from the Property Investors Federation, the proposals to allow tenants to keep pets in their rental has been quietly dropped. Certainly there are some rentals that can and do house pets, but many are quite unsuitable for anything more than a goldfish.
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