NSW: Moves to stop ‘blacklisted’ tenants
Tennant (SYDNEY)
The NSW Government is looking at ways to protect tenants from
being “blacklisted” from rental properties.
New South Wales Fair Trading Minister REBA MEAGHER says moves
are being considered to ensure real estate agents use tenant
databases more responsibly.
Speaking on International Tenants Day, Ms MEAGHER says there
needs to be a more transparent approach to tenants being listed on
tenancy databases.
Tenant databases are operated by private companies who collect
information about tenants and make it available to real estate
agents.
Agents use this information to assess a person’s rental history
when considering an application to rent a property.
Ms MEAGHER says databases should not infringe on a tenant’s
basic rights as there have been some reports of tenants being
“blacklisted” for trivial matters.
Changes to be considered include proscribing a list of criteria
by which a tenant can be listed on a database and giving tenants an
opportunity to review and correct the information about them.
The Tenants’ Union of NSW has welcomed the announcement.
AAP RTV kjd/psm/The culture that has been allowed to grow in Australia such that tenants rights are being protected at the expense of landlord’s rights is very unhealthy.
It is also very wrong to look to the government to regulate things like blacklists. By and large these blacklists do a job and do it fairly well. Sure there are cases where agents are unfair, but does this need government to step in and spend more tax dollars in order to regulate. I think not! Do you really want another department of bureaucrats sucking more tax dollars from us?
The bottom line is that you cannot get onto a blacklist without an incident occurring. So the issue is not a matter of whether the tenant erred but rather to what extent they did. If a tenant feels that strongly that they have been unfairly treated they can take it up with the agent and the listing agency and if not addressed to their satisfaction they can, like any other situation use the legal system.
That particular Polly has never impressed me and as a landlord now I like her even less [
!]. Guess is will be even more important to screen your property manager and make sure you have the right tenants. As if its not hard enough earning the dollars to invest – without the extra stress of finding quality tenants! HG
!]. Guess is will be even more important to screen your property manager and make sure you have the right tenants. As if its not hard enough earning the dollars to invest – without the extra stress of finding quality tenants! HGYou must be logged in to reply to this topic. If you don't have an account, you can register here.
