No place for family violence

A recent Shelter WA Homelessness Week Event gave rental property owners the chance to learn about ways to help tenants experiencing family and domestic violence (FDV) and other serious problems.

For those who weren’t able to attend, we filmed a presentation by the Senior Policy Officer from Consumer Protection who developed really important proposed changes to Western Australian tenancy laws, to help tenants affected by FDV.

Spoiler alert: The Residential Tenancies Legislation Amendment (Family Violence) Bill 2018 gives tenants who are living in fear options to stay or go; either by applying to the courts to have a violent family member removed from the tenancy agreement or by providing evidence of FDV to their landlord so they can leave safely.

While the legislation is victim-focussed, Consumer Protection believes there will be clear benefits for landlords, including less abandonment of premises, which can leave the landlord having to deal with the problems of abandoned goods and taking former tenants to court.

Watch the video to find out more or read about the upcoming changes on our website.

The ‘Landlords Making A Difference’ session on Thursday 9 August at The Rise in Maylands also involved speakers from community legal centre Tenancy WA, WA’s Equal Opportunity Commission and RSPCA WA who spoke about their domestic violence related Pets In Crisis Program, the importance of tenants being able to find homes that will allow pets, and the opportunity for landlords who offer pet-friendly homes to generate more rental income.