The state government says changes to WA's rental laws will help balance the power battle between landlords and tenants. Rent increase will now be limited to once a year, and most tenants will be able to keep pets and make minor modifications. But with tight vacancy rates, not everyone is seeing the benefits.
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00:00As changes to WA's rental laws took effect last week, mother and daughter Alison and
00:05Amelia Clarke hardly noticed.
00:08After living in this home for six years and battling health issues, their landlord's selling
00:13up.
00:14I've never lived anywhere for six years so never had to pack up six years worth of stuff.
00:19Six years ago when we came here, it was because WA had a bunch of affordable, available housing
00:27and now, even here, has the same issues as places like the Gold Coast and Sydney so the
00:38question becomes, where do you go?
00:41There's very few rentals that are affordable to us and obviously it's the same for everyone
00:48else who has lower incomes or who are single incomes and so that we all have to apply for
00:54the same places.
00:56The reforms will limit rent increases to once a year and mean most tenants will be able
01:00to keep pets and make minor modifications.
01:03But if you're like Alison and you can't find anywhere to live, it's not going to be much
01:07help.
01:08Thank you for contacting Circle Green for a start of your journey.
01:14It's an issue staff at community legal centre Circle Green see often.
01:18They're all kind of coloured with this threat of eviction that people face and the advice
01:22we give people is often, here's what your rights are and they don't want to do anything
01:26to enforce them because they know what the alternative is.
01:31Property manager Suzanne Brown has seen those pressures too but believes there's hope ahead.
01:36Investor lending has increased and they're aware of the reforms coming in so that's really
01:41positive signs that investors aren't too spooked about the reforms.
01:46But that will take time to make a difference.
01:49The only thing we have thought of is to save up for a caravan and then ask people if there's
01:56a property that we could put it on.
01:58A difficult situation with no end in sight.