Landlord rules overhauled in Tasmania - minimum standards, rental increase limits, six week eviction notice

Landlord obligations will severely tighten in Tasmania following amendments to the Residential Tenancy Act being passed by parliament last month.

Landlords are now barred from increasing rents in six month intervals, are required to maintain tenanted properties to a minimum level and must give tenants six weeks notice of eviction.

According to the Tenant’s Union of Tasmania tenanted homes must now be

• Weatherproof and structurally sound
• Clean and in good repair
• Equipped with bathroom and toilet
• Serviced with a kitchen sink, hotplates and an oven (which can be a microwave)
• Supplied with electricity and one fixed form of heating
• Provided with curtains (except properties owned by Housing Tasmania)
• Adequately ventilated

Landlords are now barred from requiring tenants to pay fees to lodge rent.

They may only increase rent in 12 month intervals, up from 6 months.

Landlords must provide 42 days notice for an eviction at the end of a fixed term lease, up from 14.

And landlords may not take photos of properties that identify the tenant.

But landlords may now evict tenants on a non-fixed lease if a family member of the landlord wants to move in while tenants must now give 21 days notice of leaving at the end of a fixed term lease.

According to Tenants Union Victoria the new amendments to the Act will likely commence on July 1st 2014 with some of the minimum standards coming into force as late as 2017.