Tenants Have Six Months to Repay Covid Arrears

Six months to pay off rental arrears, but advocates warn a 'wave' of homelessness is fast approaching - ABC News

 

For some, it was simply delaying the inevitable. I feel for many of the people in ****** positions due to covid.

I just wish the government and the media would stop trying to convince tenants that landlords should be the ones held responsible for the tenants financial problems. But the government knows that if they can keep tenants blaming landlords, then it's not under scrutiny itself. And the media and general population lap it up bevause its easier to jump on the blame wagon then to address the very real underlying issues, and getting the government to actually take positive action itself to improve the situation (not at the direct expense of the landlords).

 

Having landlords take the hit in the first place was just plain wrong.

 

If the NSW Govt was so caring they should have setup a HELP debt style scheme where the GOVT paid owners all rent under covid relief and then the govt has to collect the money from those tenants. Its grossly unfair to force tenants who cant pay onto owners and set the terms as 0% and a free loan for 6 months without rights to evict. The problem is just deferred and snowvballed into a big debt that they will argue they cant pay and the tenant and landlord had next to zero discussion. . I wonder how many will do a midnight runner in 6 months ?

 

I actually think it should have been taken by the horns by the federal government and not let the States run point on this. Some very good people have been ruined by this with no fault of their own.

 

The Federal Government couldn't get involved with this because tenancy laws and issues are state/territory based.... and the Fed Govt said as such early last year when COVID began to really take effect on everything.

 

The federal government can’t simply “take” issues handled by State Governments.

Otherwise I am sure they would have “taken” border closure powers.

 

I been saying this for years as the trend has been clear.
The govs won't care unless the voters do. And a lot more than previously don't care for RE ownership.
Twice we have had elected prime ministers replaced based on polls.

It's happened before in countries around the world. Plenty in the EU. It's not new.

 

You are correct. But they could have put something in place to help financially support renters who were at risk of not being able to pay rent due to Covid, with taking any of the state powers. (Specific to renters, to assist with rental payment. I like the idea of a zero interest loan that someone mentioned above.)

Instead our PM decided it was a good idea to go to the media and make statements to the effect that landlords need to be the ones to suck it up and take the hit. And that if renters cann't afford their rent, then its perfectly fine for them to expect that landlords just let them off the hook.
He would have been better saying nothing at all then the nonsense he did say at the time.

 

Squeezed out of housing, these homeless campers call a beautiful forest home

Deep in a state forest, a transient group of people who are homeless for various reasons are camped with nowhere else to go as rental prices rise.

Among the caravans and motor homes staying a few days in the beautiful Coopernook campground on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, there are around eight campsites that have been there longer than their allocated four weeks.

But closures of other campgrounds — due to landslides and flood-damaged roads — leave people stuck in the one spot, having to negotiate with Forestry to extend their stay.

At least two families have had their homes flooded and haven't been able to return, there are children in both camps but neither family wants to speak for various reasons.

But a small group of single men has no such qualms.