Brian Brady 
If you own or rent Everton Park real estate, here’s your chance to help shape the legislation that directly affects you. Three years ago the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act (2008) was introduced in Queensland in an attempt to regulate and streamline the residential rental sector. This Act is now undergoing a review in order to assess just how affective it has been, and all Queensland residents are invited to join the conversation and have their say.
With 2011 data revealing that approximately 34 per cent of Queensland households rent, an increase of 13.4 per cent in the last 5 years, this review is not only topical but will affect many of our own Everton Park residents.
The discussion paper, which was released on the 1st of November, has been designed to offer a series of alternatives/options and their implications against current legislative practises in the areas of:
- Balancing stakeholder interests – including issues such as maximum rental bonds, negligent damage to property, and the provision of greater flexibility for long-term tenants.
- Streamlining service delivery – including issues such as public announcements of unclaimed bonds.
- Reducing red tape – including issues such as simplifying the processing of bonds, dispute resolution and withdrawal paperwork, and the removal of transitional provisions.
- Technical and minor changes – including issues such as small errors in the current legislation requiring correction.
The options provided in the discussion paper are designed to stimulate conversations, enabling people to better judge the changes they agree with or disagree with, and perhaps generate their own additional options that have yet to be included. In short, they want your feedback!
Are you an Everton Park real estate tenant or landlord? Then have your say!
- All public submissions must be in by the 2nd of January 2013.
- Your submission must be made in writing, and can address one or several issues. It does not need to be a long submission, and it need not be complex.
- Refer to the option number when discussing a particular issue.
- If you wish to generate your own additional issues not yet addressed in the discussion paper, please indicate this in your submission.
- Try to provide evidence in your discussion to support what you’re saying, whether it be a case study, QCAT decision or a practical example.
- If you do not wish for information in your submission to be disclosed to others, you may mark it as “confidential” and the RTA will not publish it; however, be warned that the Right to Information Act (2009) may enable your submission may be made publicly available upon request.
Make your submission to:
Principal Policy Officer
Tenancies Act Review
Residential Tenancies Authority
Mail: GPO Box 390, Brisbane, Qld 4001
Delivery: Level 23, 179 Turbot Street, Brisbane
Email: review@rta.qld.gov.au
Fax: (07) 3046 5252