Discussions underway to ban no-cause evictions in ACT

ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said he had commenced discussions with stakeholders on how to implement a ban in an "effective" and "reasonable way".

It comes after the government pledged to outlaw the practice in this assembly term after a commitment from Labor and the Greens in their parliamentary and governing agreement.

A no-cause eviction allows a landlord to evict a tenant at the end of their lease without a reason but notice must be given. Tenants can also be thrown out at any time if they have a month-to-month lease.

Mr Rattenbury said a ban on no-cause evictions would create security of tenure and would stop "retaliatory evictions".

"If someone has been a good tenant, looked after the place and always paid the rent on time we don't believe that landlords should be able to just kick them out," he said.

"Sometimes landlords do this because they didn't like being asked to fulfil a legal obligation like repairing the property or allowing a pet, or because they don't particularly like the tenant.

"This will give renters the right to stay in their house for years unless the landlord has a genuine reason to terminate a tenancy or use the house for non-rental purposes.

"This commitment to end no-cause evictions is important to create security of tenure for renters and stop retaliatory evictions."

The commitment to ban no-cause evictions was negotiated by the Greens who pushed for the change in the last assembly. Proposed legislation put forward by Greens MLA Caroline Le Couteur to ban the practice was blocked by Labor and the Liberals.

"The Greens went to the election with a focus on housing and on improving the rights of renters," Mr Rattenbury said.

"This was one of many important Greens commitments that we negotiated on and we are pleased it is part of our parliamentary and governing agreement."

Mr Rattenbury did not give a timeline for the introduction of the legislation.

A Productivity Commission report from 2019 found banning no-cause evictions could improve the welfare of vulnerable private renters, especially those who feared retaliation if they asked for repairs or maintenance.

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Better Renting executive director Joel Dignam agreed and said he believed the changes would give tenants greater confidence to speak up for themselves or ask for repairs.

"If tenants don't have to worry as much about retaliatory evictions, which is a no-cause eviction on paper, it means they are more likely to get to ask to get their oven repaired," he said.

"The issue of tenants being afraid of retaliation and now standing up for themselves is an issue that faces tenants all over the country."

Nick Herrald said he and his partner were issued a no-cause eviction last year. He said he and his partner were "model tenants" who always paid their rent on time and kept the house clean.

But he said they were give an eviction notice after a conflict with their landlord.

Mr Herrald welcomed the commitment from the government and said it would give greater rights to renters. He said the eviction had caused him great stress.

"If no-cause evictions were not legal they wouldn't have been able to do anything," he said.

"The security of tenure for tenants I think is quite vital for your mental health.

"At the time it was keeping me from sleeping and I spent all night googling the [ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal] decisions instead of being able to relax in my own house."