If you are being inundated with water or suffering damage from storms or cyclones your tenancy may be affected.  This fact sheet is for residential tenancies however most of this information also applies to rooming accommodation such as boarding houses. It also contains contact details of your local Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service.

For further information click on the following link:

Info for tenants affected by floods cyclones w taas contacts

After a long wait the Department of Communities (Housing and Homelessness Services) has released the Tenant Participation Program Review Summary Report and Recommendations.

The Tenant Participation program provides opportunities for social housing tenants to gain skills and engage with their housing provider and local community. To find out more about the future of the program click here

To read the Tenant Participation Program Review Summary Report and Recommendations click here.

The Tenants’ Union of Queensland provides a free statewide advice and advocacy service  for all  tenants. This statewide service operates 9am-4pm Mon to Fri and til 7pm on Tue and Wed evenings. This service operates on a single line - if the line is engaged the advice worker is speaking with another tenant. Callers can try calling at another time or can contact their local tenant advice and advocacy service (TAAS).

Australians for Affordable Housing

More and more Australians are finding it hard to get a home they can afford, whether they’re renting or buying.  Many households report significant housing stress with over 740,000 renters and more than 380,000 mortgaged home owners paying more than they can afford. Despite significant investment in recent years, there is less public and community housing propoerties now than there was in 2003.

Australians for Affordable Housing  has just launched a campaign to challenge Australian governments to address housing affordability – the single biggest cost of living issue facing Australians. Visit their website at www.housingstressed.org.au to support the campaign and to share your housing story.

Information for tenants and residents

The Tenants’ Union statewide service and local TAAS services provide free advice and advocacy services for tenants and residents in Queensland.

In Queensland the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008  is the legislation that covers all residential tenancies in Queensland, including general tenancies (flats, units houses etc), rooming accommodation and moveable dwelling (caravan park) tenancies.

The Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) is the Queensland government authority that oversees the Act. The RTA provides services for  all parties, including lessors, agents, providers, tenants and residents.

The RTA holds tenant bonds during the tenancy and provides an  infomation service, a free dispute resolution service and tenancy forms and publications. The RTA can investigate complaints about failure to comply with the Act, such as failure to lodge rental bonds or provide written agreements.

In Queensland if parties cannot resolve a tenancy dispute they can apply to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) for a tenancy hearing. For more information see going to the Tribunal for a tenancy matter . Information and QCAT forms are available on the QCAT website.

The Queensland Department of Communities (Housing and Homelessness)  provides a range of  programs to assist people looking for rental housing,  renting in the private market or renting  government or community managed housing (social housing). 

Private rental assistance programs include bond loans, rent connect and the National Rental Affodability Scheme (NRAS).

The Rent Connect program helps people in Queensland find and secure a tenancy in the private rental market. Rent Connect also has a series of fact sheets with tips on looking for rental accommodation.

Social housing programs include public housing and community managed housing. A range of fact sheets are available online, with information about eligibility guidelines and how to apply for social housing.

You can visit your local Housing Services Office  for more information

The RTA website includes median rent data  for Queensland suburbs and regions.

If you are homeless and need assistance contact the Homeless Persons Information Queensland (HPIQ) freecall 1800 4747 53. You can also contact your local Housing Services office.

When calling an advice service free interpreter assistance can be provided if needed. When you contact an advice service let the service know if you need an interpreter. Alternately you can call the TIS interpreter service directly on 131 450 and ask them to connect you to an advice service.

Information in other languages is also available on the RTA website.

Rooming accommodation information is also available in other languages on the Inner North TAAS Student Renting Rights website.

Renting Information for older women

Recent research has shown that women over 45 may experience life changes that can affect their housing. Loss of income, changes in family relationships, illness or bereavement can impact on women’s housing tenure.

In response the Office of Women invited the Tenants’ Union of Queensland, to run a series of renting information sessions for older women and for people who are assisting them.

The Tenants’ Union ran five workshops; Toowoomba, Ipswich, Hervey Bay, Maryborough and Cairns.

Over 50 women attended the sessions and shared their experiences of how separation, bereavement, job loss, family breakdown and low incomes affected their housing choices.

Participants went away with a show bag of resources and new information about housing options and services that can assist with renting advice and housing services.

Any tenants seeking renting advice can call the Tenants’ Union of Queensland free advice service on 1300 744 263. Tenants or prospective tenants can also contact their local Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service (TAAS) for tenancy advice and housing referral.

The  Department of Communities (Housing and Homelessness Services) is reviewing their Tenant Participation Program.

The Tenants’ Union has consulted with individual social housing tenants and regional tenant groups across the state to facilitate tenant input into the review process.

Click here for more information and key recommendations

The Department has now produced a draft report based on feedback from organisations and tenant groups and  will send this report to the Minister for consideration.

Improved Rights may help to reduce homelessness

The report “A Better Lease on Life” was developed by the National Association of Tenant Organisations (NATO) and National Shelter in an effort to reduce homelessness through improvements to tenancy laws.

The report makes a number of key recommendations to government around the areas of unreasonable evictions, opportunities for tenants to rectify rent arrears, and providing tenancy law protections, which will enable more balanced processess in the rental markets.

Click here for a copy of the report A Better Lease on Life

International human rights law recognises everyone’s right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate housing.

Adequate housing was recognized as part of the right to an adequate standard of living in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

This joint OHCHR/UN Habitat Fact Sheet is the second in a series of joint publications by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights with other United Nations partners to focus on economic, social and cultural rights.

This Fact Sheet explains the right to adequate housing, what it means for individuals and groups and elaborates upon States’ related obligations.

Download a copy of this fact sheet here

Statewide Tenant Advice Service 1300 744 263

The Tenants’ Union 1300 advice number offers a single statewide phone number for tenants seeking advice from any of the three Tenants’ Union offices; the statewide office in Brisbane, the Fraser Coast office in Pialba, or the North Queensland office in Cairns.

The Tenants’ Union statewide advice service is available from 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday with extended hours to 7pm on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.

Advice is provided by the Tenants’ Union Fraser Coast office between 9am and 1pm Monday to Friday and the North Queensland office in Cairns provides advice from 2pm to 5pm Tuesday and Thursday.

Tenants  calling outside their regional advice hours, will automatically connect to the statewide advice service based in the Tenants’ Union statewide office in Brisbane.

Changes to Queensland tenancy laws took effect on 1st July 2009. Under the new Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 residential tenants must be given at least 2 months Notice to Leave if they are being asked to leave rental premises without grounds (without reason) .

Prior to the commencement of the new laws in July 2009 Queensland tenants could be given as little as 2 weeks notice to leave at the end of a fixed term tenancy agreement. This was clearly an unreasonable time frame for tenants to find new accommodation, move, and find money to pay a new bond.

‘Many of the changes to the Act are about bringing back a fair playing field between tenants and lessors, with the increased “without ground” notice period the most significant’, said Tenants’ Union of Queensland (TUQ) spokesperson Ms Penny Carr.

Changes to the laws are the culmination of processes commenced in 2005, which initially reviewed tenancy laws covering room-only accommodation and proceeded to review legislation covering general residential tenancies. The new  Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 was passed in late 2008 and when it commenced on 1st July 2009 it replaced the Residential Tenancies Act 1994 and the Residential Services (Accommodation) Act 2002 .

The TUQ invites any tenant or resident seeking information or advice to contact us on our free telephone advice service on 1300 744 263 between 9am- 4pm Mon-Fri and 7pm on Tues & Wed.

Download a summary of the changes here.