Rental-Insights-A-COVID-19-Collection - Flipbook - Page 41
RENTAL INSIGHTS:
ASPIRING HOME OWNERS
‘[The] house is too small.
Neighbours are very loud. Feels
like a hotel room not a home’
‘I never want to move, but when
owners sell, or want to renovate,
or move in themselves, I don’t
have a choice. Happens all
the time’
40
Why do people rent?
Renting provides access to better
location
Renting affords better quality
Can't afford to buy
What is the relevance
to Australian policy?
The challenge is to build the qualities
that people appreciate about home
ownership into rental housing,
especially into the privately-owned part
of the sector that provides most of this
housing. This research gives us some
excellent pointers to what qualities
should be prioritised.
The reforms to the Victorian Residential
Tenancies Act are intended to make
rental housing more like a home. The
reforms will remove no reason evictions
(except at the end of the first lease),
encourage longer leases, allow renters
to keep pets, introduce minimum
standards for the safety and amenity
of properties, enable the quick return
of bonds, reduce the frequency of rent
increases, allow the tenant to make
minor modifications to the property
(such as hanging pictures) and a range
of other measures.
Other jurisdictions are making similar
reforms, although Victoria’s have so far
gone the furthest in improving rights
for renters.
Don’t have deposit
Flexibility
Nothing suitable to buy
Prefer renting
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Proportion
The reforms to the Victorian Residential
Tenancies Act are intended to make rental
housing more like a home.
50%
