- Rental eviction moratorium ends today in most states
- REIA President welcomes the moratorium ending
- However, he acknowledged it was the right ban to implement at the time
Today, most major states have effectively ended the rental moratorium, which was introduced a year ago in the wake of the pandemic.
The Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIV) has welcomed what they describe as a ‘return to normality’ with the ending of the rental eviction moratoriums, however, has encouraged landlords and tenants to maintain effective communications.
While remarking that rental eviction moratoriums in jurisdictions in states such as Tasmania and Queensland were not catastrophic, REIA President, Adrian Kelly, said it is important for governments to not make decisions on political rhetoric, but instead to do so based on facts.
“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.”
Adrian Kelly, REIA President
Mr Kelly acknowledged that the moratorium was the right decision last March and played a role in flattening the COVID-19 curve.
However, he suggests that with the vaccination program underway, the focus should be shifted towards policies that support both investors and tenants to make choices that better suit their financial needs.
In particular, has says governments need to implement policies tackling 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.”
Adrian Kelly, REIA President
Mr Kelly concluded that, however, issues around tenant’s ability to pay rent had not been anywhere near what was expected a year ago – a testament, he said, to the suite of economic policies across Australia.
