Deputy Premier Jackie Trad
(Photo: ALP)

April 9, 2020

The State Government unveiled a package of measures on Thursday to protect residential and commercial tenants during the COVID-19 health emergency.

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said the Federal and State governments are encouraging tenants, property owners and agents to work together to sustain tenancies.

“It’s not in the interest of anyone to have tenants left without a place to go when we are fighting to prevent the spread of a deadly disease,” Ms Trad said.

“We will not allow anyone to be evicted because they can’t pay their rent as a result of this crisis.”

The State Government has launched an online rental hub to provide information and resources to support discussions between property owners and renters.

For those that can’t reach an agreement, there will be compulsory conciliation for COVID-19 related disputes between tenants and landlords through the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA).

The RTA’s guidelines will prohibit tenants being required to draw on their superannuation or sell basic personal assets to meet rental payments.

The government has also introduced a retrospective freeze on evictions as of Sunday, March 29.

The freeze means property owners will be prohibited from evicting a tenant if their lease expires during the COVID-19 public health crisis.

Instead, property owners must offer an extension to the lease for at least a further six months.

But if a tenant cannot pay rent due to impacts of COVID-19 and wants to end their lease early, they will be allowed to do so.

Tenants will still be required to demonstrate respect for their property and neighbours by maintaining their home in accordance with their tenancy agreement.

Ms Trad said the State Government has also introduced measures to support tenants experiencing hardship who were unable to access – or were waiting for – other financial support.

“New eligibility criteria is now in place for rental grants of up to four weeks rent, or a maximum of $2000,” Ms Trad said.

“This is a last resort for Queenslanders in need of support while they are waiting for federal government support to prevent homelessness.”

Queenslanders experiencing domestic and family violence will also be allowed to leave a rental property in a hurry.

New provisions will be introduced which will provide immediate support to end tenancies quickly, change locks without seeking approval, access bond and separate from co-tenancies in domestic violence situations.

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Commercial and retail tenants will also be protected from evictions.

Ms Trad said the measures would be underpinned by $400 million in land tax relief for property owners, which must be passed on to tenants.

“To ensure commercial or residential property owners don’t face undue hardship on their own, we will be offering a three-month rebate of land tax for 2019-20,” Ms Trad said.

“This will be followed by a three-month deferral of land tax for property owners who agree to provide rent relief for tenants affected by the coronavirus downturn.”

A landowner can apply for land tax relief if they meet criteria, which include:

  • The landowner rents all or part of a property to a tenant/s or all or part of a property is currently available for lease; and
  • At least one tenant’s ability to pay their normal rent or the landowner’s ability to secure a tenant is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; and
  • The landowner provides rent relief to an affected tenant/s commensurate with the amount of the land tax rebate or if the property is unable to be leased, the landowner requires land tax relief to meet their financial obligations (such as debt repayments); and
  • The landowner complies with new leasing requirements, even if the relevant lease is not regulated.

Commercial landlords will be able to apply for land tax relief by going to qld.gov.au/landtax from next Tuesday morning (April 14).


 

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