Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) has welcomed the return to normality with the end of rental eviction moratoriums but with this has urged landlords and tenants to keep the lines of communication open.
Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) has welcomed the return to normality with the end of rental eviction moratoriums but with this has urged landlords and tenants to keep the lines of communication open.
REIA President, Adrian Kelly said the rental eviction moratoriums in jurisdictions like Tasmania and Queensland have not been catastrophic but moving forward, governments need to make decisions based on facts, not political rhetoric.
“We thank those agents who have worked hard to support both investors and tenants over this challenging period but with the end of JobKeeper, it is important there is a dialogue between landlords, agents and tenants.
“Tenants should reach out and speak with their agent or landlord if they are unable to meet their legal commitments,” he said.
“The rental eviction moratorium was the absolute right decision last March and played a critical role in keeping Australians housed over the initial lockdown which successful flattened the COVID-19 curve.”
“With vaccinations being rolled out, it is time to refocus on housing support policies and allow both investors and tenants to make choices that suit their financial and housing needs at this stage of the pandemic.”
Mr Kelly said that in turn, governments need to find a new policy to deal with rental stress.
“Many landlords were able to postpone mortgage repayments during the restrictions but still have to repay the debt so further extensions to the moratoriums could create financial stress across the board.”
“Many landlord support programs in each State and Territory were undersubscribed and should be used to help those that need it if they are working in sectors that are taking longer to recover from the COVID-19 economic shock.”
“At the end of the day, issues around tenants being impacted by Covid-19 and their ability to pay rent has not been anywhere near what was expected in early 2020 which is a testament to the suite of economic policies available for all Australians,” he said.
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