In Victoria, you need a licence to keep bees and use a metal detector – now there’s calls for a landlord licence too.
Landlords would require a licence under a new Victorian Greens proposal designed to crack down on poor practices, improve living conditions, and lower rents.
The three strikes and you’re out system could see an investment property owner lose their right to lease if they’re found to have breached a renter’s rights three times.
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It’s the Victorian Greens’ latest announcement ahead of November’s state election and joins its policy propositions to freeze and cap rents so they never rise faster than wages.
The party argues Victorians need a licence for having a blue-tongue lizard as a pet, buying fireworks and keeping a native bird’s feather, so “landlords should need a licence too”.
Victorian Greens spokesperson Gabrielle de Vietri said the licence would give tenants more confidence to hold dodgy landlords accountable.
“For too long, renters have had to fight for basic living standards, but most are too scared of retaliation to even ask for something to be fixed,” she said.
“In Victoria, you need a licence to keep bees and if you want to use a metal detector. It’s time to hold dodgy landlords accountable.”
Under the proposal, news.com.au understands a landlord may lose their licence for breaches such as failing to remove black mould, not meeting heating and cooling standards and not upholding basic safety requirements.
“This is one thing we can do to make renting fairer but ultimately we need rent controls to make renting affordable when right now renters can’t even ask for basic repairs out of fear of a rent increase they can’t afford,” Ms de Vietri said.
“Landlords have a huge amount of power over tenants’ lives – their choices could be the difference between a tenant affording the rent or being evicted, between breathing fresh air or black mould, between feeling safe or losing everything.
“They shouldn’t be able to make those choices without consequences for doing the wrong thing. If you can’t provide a safe home then you shouldn’t be a landlord.”
The party also proposed to introduce an independent regulator which would administer the landlord licencing scheme and a public landlord register, require rent-worthy checks and energy efficiency disclosure for all advertised leases and conduct independent inspections.
The regulator would also enforce any penalties for failing to meet minimum standards or carry out repairs and rescind licences from landlords who have multiple or serious breaches.
While Tenants Victoria chief Jennifer Beveridge did not comment explicitly on a landlord licence, she said renters have given feedback that rental law compliance is the second biggest priority for renters.
“A rental property register would give Consumer Affairs Victoria a live view of the sector, so that they can target audits, compliance and guidance to the properties that really need it,” she said.
“Renters would know that the home meets minimum standards before signing on to a year-long lease.”
Most calls Tenants Victoria receive are about repair issues, with this a concern in 84 per cent of Victorian electorates.
“With 2 million renters in this state, we’ve welcomed the expansion of the Renting Taskforce, and encourage all political parties to support compliance with rental property standards so that the people who live there can live with dignity,” Ms Beveridge said.
Not all are on board with the scheme, with Property Owners Association of Victoria spokesman Phil Spencer telling news.com.au it should be aimed at social housing and not private investors.
“There (are) more problems with social housing than there are with private housing … they don’t do maintenance or repairs,” he said.
He also called for a public list that names bad tenants who are repeat offenders.
The announcement fell on the same day the state government mandated a number of rental reforms to give tenants stronger rights and protections, greater security over their lease and improved safety.
From today, landlords must notify the renter in advance if they will be making a claim on the bond at the end of the rental agreement and must provide evidence to support that claim.
Investment property owners or their acting real estate agents must also keep records to show the property met minimum rental standards before it was advertised, offered or the renter moved in.
Gas and electrical safety checks have additionally become mandatory every two years for all rental properties, with a gas check also required within six months of any draughtproofing work.
The final reform coming into effect on Tuesday includes a ban on rental providers and agents charging any fees for applications.
These changes join a series of other amendments already in effect, including new minimum energy efficiency standards, a ban on no-fault evictions, an extension on notice periods for rent increases, a ban on rental bidding and new rules to protect renters’ personal information.
