15 November 2022

South Australia Consumer and Business Services (CBS) recently announced its intentions to reform the state’s current residential tenancy legislation, the Residential Tenancies Act 1995 (‘the Act’).

As of 15 November 2022, consultation with industry participants, including tenants, landlords, real estate agents and housing organisations has commenced. The consultation has allowed for the release of a discussion paper, marking the start of the most extensive review of the Act since 2014.

Consultation is open until 5 PM, Friday 16 December.

Issues to be discussed include:

• Renting with pets

• A crackdown on the practice of rent bidding

• Maximum bond amount

• Standardising application forms

• Whether the minimum notice required for not renewing a fixed-term tenancy agreement should be increased

• New requirements for rooming houses and share accommodation

• Housing standards

• Tenants making safety modifications and minor changes

• Support for renters experiencing domestic violence

• Water bills and payment requirements

• Contaminated properties due to illegal drug activity

Andrea Michaels, Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs, commented on the matter, saying “As Australia continues to face a widespread rental crisis with lack of stock and affordability issues, it’s been one of my priorities to ensure we have contemporary, effective residential tenancies laws in this state.

“With cost-of-living pressures putting a real strain on household budgets across the board, now is the right time to look at how the rental property market has evolved, what people expect and how we can make our laws modern and fair for both tenants and landlords.

”We want to hear from tenants, landlords and others who have a stake in ensuring we have a fair and equitable system that benefits everyone”.