Tenants’ Union of Tasmania

Annual Report

2015/16

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Contents

ACHIEVEMENTS2015/16..............................................................................................................................4

CONVENOR’SREPORT.....................................................................................................................................5

PRINCIPLESOLICITOR’SREPORT...............................................................................................................6

ABOUTUS............................................................................................................................................................9

PEOPLE.............................................................................................................................................................12

SERVICEACTIVITY........................................................................................................................................14

TENANCYSTATISTICS..................................................................................................................................20

OURLINKS.......................................................................................................................................................27

FINANCIALREPORT......................................................................................................................................28

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Achievements 2015/16

ImplementationofMinimumStandards,whichtheTenants’Unionhascampaignedforovermanyyears.Tasmaniaisthefirst

jurisdictioninAustraliatohaveintroducedminimumstandards

2786instancesofadviceandsupportintenancymatters

including2261phoneadvices,418dropinclients,and118casesopened

27CommunityLegalEducationSessionsacrossthestate

37,030sessionsonwww.tutas.org.auby23,883individualuserswith194,455separatepageviews

1404downloadsofourDon’tPanicbrochureandwiththelatestchangestotheActcompletewewerealsoabletoupdateandprint

2000hardcopiestobedistributedtoTasmaniantenants

31241Factsheetdownloads

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Convenor’s Report TheTenants’UnionofTasmania(TUT)continuedtofaceconsiderablechallengesduringtheyeardueprimarilytouncertaintyregardingfunding.Fortunately,thefundingforthe2015/16financialyearwasmaintainedatthesamelevelas2014/15.Inaddition,theStateGovernmenthastoppedupfundstocompensateforapreliminary cut to Commonwealth funding for the 2016/17 year. However, theCommonwealthGovernmenthas advisedof a larger cut in funds for the2017/18year,whichposesapotentialthreattotheviabilityofourongoingservices.TheStateGovernmentFundingAgreementexpiredat theendof June2016, andat thisstagetheTUThasbeenprovidedwithafurther12monthsworthoffundingwithfuturefundingfromthestateyettobenegotiated,exacerbatingourproblemsinregardtofutureplanningandstaffretention.TheSolicitor’sGuaranteeFundhasbeenawelcomeadditionalinputallowingustorealisekeyprojectssuchasCommunityLegalEducationandTrainingandDevelopment.Thisisagain a 12months provision of funds andwe are as yet to receive advice onwhetherassistancewillcontinueintothefuture.The Committee and the TUT is continuously working with other Community LegalCentrestosecureadequateandongoingfundingtoenableustodeliverourservicestotheTasmaniancommunity.TheManagementCommitteehadastableyearintermsofmembership.MichaelKennettcontinued asTreasurer, EmilyConwell remained Secretary andPia Struwe tookon therole of Public Officer. Michelle Parker and Andrew Muthy remained members of thecommittee.Manythankstoeveryonefortheireffortsthroughouttheyear.WeagainsawsomechangeswithinthestaffingattheTUTwithJuliaElyreturningtotheteam, Louise Foster filling the bookkeeper’s role, Steve Bennett as the Training andDevelopmentOfficerandtheadditionoftwoparttimersolicitors–AlexBomfordandJeffThompson.MeredithBartonandBenBartlhavecontinued in theirPrincipleandSeniorSolicitorpositionsrespectively,providingsteadyandstrongsupporttotheTUT.Finally Iwould like to thank thestaff, thevery importantvolunteersstaffing theadviselineandthe–alsovoluntary–committeemembersfortheircontributionsandinputintothesuccessfulfunctioningoftheTUT.SueChappleConvenorOctober2016

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Principle Solicitor’s Report TheTenants’UnionofTasmaniahascontinuedonthisyearinprovidingasuccesfulandfundamental service in Tasmania. Our advice, advocacy and education programs havereached people throughout Tasmania. This has been achieved through strengtheningsupport from theNorthWestCommunity Legal Centre and theLauncestonCommunityLegalCentre.Our services continue tobepopularwith tenants includingour telephoneadvice service and our drop in advice service in Hobart, which is meeting increaseddemand. Our website is a valuable tool for tenants, staff, volunteers and others whoaccess it.Wepride ourselves on ensuring that the informationweprovide through thewesbiteremainsvalidandeasilyaccessible.TherecentchangestotheResidentialTenancyAct1997stillremainakeychallengeinourdeliveryofadvice.Wearecloselywatchingtheeffectsandbenefitsthesechangesarecreatingfortenantsnowandintothefutureandwelookforwardtohearingpositivefeedback.Anotherspecificchallengewehavefacedandcontinue to face is that of the uncertainty in our funding. With future cuts from theCommonwealth Government almost certain in the 2017/18 financial year, we areworkingtowardsensuringthatourserviceremainsasaccessibleasitistodayfortenants.SouthernOfficeTherehavebeenquiteanumberofchangesinthestaffinginourHobartofficeoverthepast year. Funding uncertainties have lead to various changes for staff.Wewere luckyenoughtoreceivefurtherfundingfromtheSolicitorGuaranteeFundduringtheyearandas suchwewelcomed back Rebecca Taylor into her role as Training andDevelopmentOfficer. Due to family issues, Rebecca had to make the difficult decision to move toVictoriasowewerenotabletoholdontoherforlong.Wemadethedecisiontosplitherrole and were able to have Alex Bomford come onto our staff as both Solicitor andCommunity Legal Education Officer for 4 days a week. Alex had previously been atelephoneadvicevolunteerwithusforquitesometime,soitwasveryexcitingtobeabletohavehimcomeonboardwithus.WealsoweclomedSteveBennettasourTrainingandDevlopmentOfficer2daysperweek.Stevehasmadeexceptionalstepsinourvolunteertraining program andwe are seeing the fruits of that with a group of new volunteerssuccesfullyenteringourprogram.We welcomed Lynn Parlett into the role of Communications Officer. Lynn had a greatamount of experience and enthusiasm and made some great steps in editing andredesigningsomeofourproduceddocuments.Weweresadtoseeherleaveafterashorttimetopursueotheropportunities.OnapositivenotethetimingworkedasJuliaElywashappytoreturnintotheroleanditwasaverysmoothtransitionandweareveryhappytohaveherbackwithus.JeffThompsonundertookpracticalexperiencewithustocompletehisGraduateDiplomain Legal Practice. After successfully completing thiswe have been able to provide himwith2daysperweekSolicitorposition.BenBartlhascontinuedonwiththeTUTworkingasSeniorSolicitor3daysperweek.HissupporthasbeenincrediblyvaluableinprovidingsupervisiontothenewSolicitorsandin

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steppingintoarepresentativerolefortheTUTwhenIhavebeenaway.AllourSolicitorsundertake the drop in service, case work, representation and provide a Duty SolicitorserviceforTenantsintheHobartMagistratesCourteachWednesday.Louise Foster has also maintained her role as Finance Officer and has been key inensuringthattheTUTremaininbudgetandkeepingtheofficestockedwiththeessentials(likebiscuits!!)aswellasworkingtowardsourfuturefinancialconstraintsandhowthatwillaffectus.Myself, I amcurrentlyworking3daysaweekwhilstbalancing lifewitha teenagerandyoung children. I believe that throughout the challenges of the past year with quite anumberofstaffchangesandadecreaseinoverallstafflevelstheTUThasmaintainedanexceptionalserviceandwillcontinuetodosoandIthankallthosethatareinvolved.NorthernandNorthWestServicesOur overall service continues to be boosted by our North and North West outreachsupport. The North West Community Legal Centre (NWCLC) and the LauncestonCommunity Legal Centre (LCLC), who each provide solicitors for 7.5 hours eachweek,supportthisprogram.Thishasenabledustoprovidetenantsintheseregionswithmoreface-to-face advocacy services and assistance. We thank both these services for theirsupport and professionalism and especially thank Chris Young, Jennifer Dunn andMatthewRosefromNWCLCandNickySnare,SarahHouseandRyanWestfromLCLC.FundingThe TUT has faced and is continuously facing funding uncertainty. We have beenfortunate that the State Government has continued to ensure that our core fundingremainsstable,howeverwedo facea largecut in the futureandarecurrentlyworkingfromalimitedbudget.Solicitors’GuaranteeFund(SGF):Wewereagainfortunatetoreceiveafurther12monthsworthoffundingforsomespecificprojectsthroughtheSGFprogram.Thisenabledustocontinueonwithourvolunteertrainingprogram,ourspecificcommunitylegaleducationprogram, provide a training day for staff and volunteers and reprint our very popularDon’tPanicbooklet. Unfortunately this isnotcontinuous financial supportandweasaserviceneedtoapplyforthisfundingwhenitbecomesavailable.AtthisstagethefundingwillbeexhaustedinDecember2016withnofurthercertaintyfortheseprojects.AcknowledgementsTheTenants’Union enjoys support from somanypeoplewho enable us to deliver ourservicestoclientsonasmallbudget.Ourvolunteersdeservesomuch thanks.Theywork tiredlesslyonour telephoneadvicelineensuringthattenantsgetsupportandadviceassoonaspossible.InparticularIwouldliketothankAlexFry.Alexcelebratedhis10thyearvolunteeringwithusinJanuary2016.Not only do I want to thank him for his support over the years and his incredibleknowledge of the legislation, but also for his friendship. He has become an importantmemberoftheTUTandwereallyappreciatehisdedication.Toalltheothervolunteerswhohavehelpedonthephonesorevenwithsomecasework,wewouldliketothankyouallandmakesureyouknowthatyouareappreciated.ToKat

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Induni and JacobSkierka Iwill say special thanksaswell as theyhavehelpedwith thedropinserviceandprovidedkeysupporttotheSolicitors.I would like to thank the Management Committee, who volunteer their time for thisimportantrole.IthasbeenabusyyearwiththechangesintheAct,budgetconcernsandstaffing movements. In particular I would like to thank Sue Chapple in her role asConvenor. Suehasbeena great sourceof support and information tomyself andothermembersofstaff.ThankyoualsotoMichaelKennettwhocontinuestodoagreatjobasour Treasurer. Thank you to Emily Conway as Secretary. Thanks also go to our PublicOfficer,PiaStruwe,andCommitteeMembers,MichelleParkerandAndrewMuthy.IwouldalsoliketothanktheHobartCommunityLegalServicestaff,inparticularBernieandPamfortheirprovisionoffrontofficereceptiontoourtenantsthroughouttheyear.On a final note I also celebrated ten years with the TUT in June 2016. It has been awhirlwhind 10 years for me both professionally and personally. I have met and beenmentored,educatedandsupportedbysomereallyamazingpeople.IbelievethattheTUTisanessentialservicethatprovidesmuchneededsupporttovulnerablemembersofoursocietyandithasbeenveryrewardingtoseethechangeswehavebeenabletomake.Ilookforwardtofurtherpositivechanges.MeredithBartonPrincipalSolicitorOctober2016

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About Us AIMSTheTenants’UnionworksfortheinterestsandrightsofresidentialtenantsinTasmaniaandseeksto:

• Improve conditions in rental housing in Tasmania so that they meet acceptedminimumstandards

• Raiseawarenesswithinthecommunityabouttenancyissues• Promote legislative change where this is necessary to improve outcomes for

tenants

GENERALPRINCIPLESTheTenants’Unionisanorganisationthatis:

• Activeinresponsetochangingtenancyissues• Offeringqualityadvice,advocacy,informationandreferralservices• Empoweringpeopletotakeactionontheirownbehalf• Abreastofcurrenthousingissues• Keeping decision makers in the community aware of the key issues that are

impactingonresidentialtenantsinTasmaniaROLESTheTenants’Unionhasseveralrolesthatprovide:

• Advice,informationandassistancewithtenancyissues• Advocacyforindividualtenantsonresidentialtenancyissues• Systemicadvocacy,includingpoliticalrepresentation• Educationand training forprofessionals, communityorganisations, studentsand

communitymembersabouttenancyissuesOPERATIONTheTenants’Unionprovides:

• Afreeservice• Accesstospecialistknowledgeontenancyissues• Aservicetoallresidentialtenants(eg.public,community,privateandboarding).

The Telephone Advice service operates during the hours of 9:30am and 4:00pmweekdays and the Face-to-Face Advice Sessions are available between 9:30am and12:30pmTuesdaytoThursdayinclusive.WealsohaveservicesthroughLauncestonCLCandNorthWestCLC.

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FUNDING

Commonwealth Grants from the Attorney General’s Department for the financial yeartotalled$69,495.ThismoneywasusedfortheprovisionofCommunityLegalEducation,training,coordination,complianceandadministrationoftheserviceasawhole.State Grants from the Department of Health and Human Services, Housing Tasmaniaequalled$189,540forthefinancialyear.Thesefundswereexpendedbysupervisingthetelephoneadviceserviceandprovidingadvocacyservicesandlegalrepresentation.2015/16Solicitor’sGuaranteeFundgrants,usedprimarilyfortraininganddevelopmentandstatewide lawservices,andaTasmanianCommunityFundgrant foronlinetrainingandmembershiptotalled$65,101duringthepastfinancialyear.ACCESSANDEQUITYPOLICYTheTenants’Unioncontinuestoensurethatalltenantshaveequitableaccesstoadequatetenancyadvice,advocacyandcommunitylegaleducationservices.SimilarlytheTenants’Unionworks toprovideequitableaccess forall tenants to justice throughtenancy lawsandlegalprocessesandpractices.

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CLIENTSTheclientsoftheTenants’Unionare:

• Privatehousingtenants• Publichousingtenants• CommunityHousingtenants

Bodiesweliaisewithare:

• Non-governmentagencies(eg.communityworkersandotherpartiesinterestedintenantsrightsandresponsibilities)

• StateGovernmentagencies(eg.HousingTasmaniaandConsumerAffairsandFairTrading)

Mostclientswhocontactus throughourAdviceLineagree tocompleteaquestionnaireprovidinguswithvaluabledataonboththeconditionofprivaterentals inTasmaniaaswellasthedemographicsofrenters.Findanoverviewofrenter’sdemographicsbelow.

South 57% North

27%

North West 16%

Callers by Region

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People

We thank all the people who have been part of the Tenants’ Union in the lastfinancialyear:

VioletAldridge-Hurst TelephoneAdvisorDinahAmrad TelephoneAdvisorBenedictBartl SeniorSolicitorMeredithBarton PrincipalSolicitorSteveBennett Training&DevelopmentOfficerAlexBomford Solicitor&CommunityLegalEducatorMichaelBowman ActingCo-ordinatorSueChapple ConvenorEmilyConway CommitteeMemberJuliaEly CommunicationsOfficerLouiseFoster BookkeeperAlexFry TelephoneAdvisorGabrielaHarvey TelephoneAdvisorBethanyHawkeswood TelephoneAdvisorPhilHoffen TasmanianRentsEditorKatrynaInduni AdvocateJodyJohnson PublicOfficerMichaelKennett TreasurerAnneKnox TelephoneAdvisorElizabethKnox TelephoneAdvisorAndrewMuthy CommitteeMemberMichelleParker CommitteeMemberLynnParlett CommunicationsOfficerKarpuShanmugan TelephoneAdvisorJacobSkierka TelephoneAdvisor&AdvocateAmandaStreet CommitteeMemberPiaStruwe CommitteeMemberJonSumby TelephoneAdvisor&CommitteeMemberAlexTate Solicitor

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RebeccaTaylor Training&DevelopmentOfficerJeffThompson SolicitorLyudaThompson TelephoneAdvisorSaraswathyVaratharajullu TelephoneAdvisorGraceWikstrom TelephoneAdvisor

WealsothankBernieReade,PamBarratt,HarveyYarnall,ClareBatten,theIonataDigitalTeam, Staff at Hobart Community Legal Service, Launceston Community Legal Centre,North West Community Legal Centre and Centacare Housing and Tenancy Services(CHATS),andthetenantswhohavecontactedusinthelastyear.

TRAINING

1. Trainingofvolunteersduring2015/16financialyear:

• RebeccaTaylorandSteveBennettconductedpreliminarytrainingwitheverynewvolunteer. The 6 hour training consists of both face to face and online trainingmodules,coveringthelegalbasicsaswellascommunicatingwithclients.

• Allvolunteershavereceivedongoing training, supervisionandadviceduring theyearfromsolicitorsMeredithBarton,BenBartl,AlexBomford,JeffThompsonandallotherstaff.

• KatrynaInduniandJacobSkierkaweresupervisedbyMeredithBartonaspartoftheirstudies.

• MostvolunteersatthetimeattendedtheTenants’UnionTrainingDayonJune27.Training included sessions on the application of the Residential Amendment Act2013,rolesandproceduresoftheResidentialTenancyCommissioner,determiningunreasonablerentincreasesandlegalchallengesundertheAct,includingdomesticviolence,thesharingeconomyandprivacy.

2. TrainingofTUTstaffduring2015/16financialyear:

• MeredithBartonconductedongoingsupervisionand trainingwithBenBartl, JeffThompsonandAlexBomford.

• Meredith Barton, Ben Bartl, Alex Bomford and Jeff Thompson have completed several legal workshops that have contributed to their Continuing Professional Development for the Law Society of Tasmania.

• LouiseFosterundertookFirstAidTraining• All staffattended theTenants’UnionTrainingDayon June27.Training included

sessions on the application of the Residential Amendment Act 2013, roles andproceduresof theResidentialTenancyCommissioner, determiningunreasonablerentincreasesandlegalchallengesundertheAct,includingdomesticviolence,thesharingeconomyandprivacy.

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Service Activity OVERVIEWTheTenants’Union continued to experiencehighdemand for its services. 2786peoplecontacted TUT services requesting support, advocacy and information from volunteersandstaff.TheCommunityLegalEducationandTrainingreachedouttoawidevarietyofpeople in the community through 27 CLE projects and presentations, and there wascontinued law reform action relating to theResidentialTenancyAct1997. TheTenants’Unionachievedthiswiththeequivalentof3.5fulltimepaidpositionsplus0.2staffatboththe Launceston Community Legal Centre (LCLC) and theNorthWest Community LegalCentre(NWCLC).

13/14 14/15 15/16 LongTermAve

TenantAdvice: 2936 2787 2786 2802MadeUpOf: Face-to-Face 586 418 418 393

CasesOpened 138 115 118 97

TelephoneAdvice 2212 2254 2250 2313

TELEPHONEADVICELINE:The Telephone Advice Line is by far the most frequently used method of individualcontactandsupportattheTenants’Union–81%ofourclientscontactusviaphone.Yet,thenumberofpeoplethatcontactusontheadvicelinehasroughlystayedthesameoverthepast3yearsandisstillslightlydownfromthelongtermaverageasshowninthetableabove.This decrease in calls can potentially be explained by the ongoing increase in websitevisitsand factsheetdownloads, thatmakegeneral informationon tenancy inTasmaniaeasilyaccessibleandreducetheneedtocallusforgeneralinformation.The Advice Line is predominantly answered byvolunteers, who receive ongoing training by ourtraining and development officer and permanentsupervisionbyallsolicitorsandotherstaff.Inthelastfinancial year volunteers provided on average 6.4three hours shifts of telephone advising per week.Somevolunteersalsoconductsupervisedface-to-faceadvice and law graduates seeking furtherqualificationsmayprovideadviceof amore complexnature.We furthermoreuse theTelephoneAdvice Line to collect rental anddemographic datafromourclients.ThisdataisextremelyvaluabletotheTenants’Unionasit informslawandpolicyreformactivities,assistsintargetingcommunitylegaleducationprogramsandgenerallyallowstheorganisationtodevelopabetterunderstandingofcurrenttrendsintherentalmarket.Weaskallourclientstoprovideinformationtousthatwillbeusedinstatisticalreports. It is importanttonotethatanumberofclientschoosenottodivulge

Staff 13%

Volunteer 87%

AdviceLinecallsansweredby

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some or any information, however we continue to provide them with advice andinformation.MostrentalanddemographicstatisticsinourAnnualReportarederivedbydatacollectedinTelephoneAdviceCalls.

FACE-TO-FACEASSISTANCE:Ourface-to-facesessionsattheHobartofficecontinuetobepopularamongsttenants.Inthe last financial year 418 tenants were assisted in this manner. This is a significantnumber given that this service operates for only nine hours perweek. In addition, ourNorthWestservice,deliveredbytheNorthWestCLC,saw70tenants*,andourNorthernservice, delivered by Launceston CLC assisted 81 tenantswith face-to-face advice. Theissues discussed face-to-face are usually more complex than those discussed on our

TelephoneAdviceLineCaseStudiesMostofourclientsareservedthroughourAdviceLine.Telephoneadviceusuallydealswith

tenantswhoneedtohavetheircasesassessedratherthenjustreceivinginformation.After

thefirstassessmentandsuggestionofactionmostclientsneednofurtherassistance.More

complex cases are referred to our solicitors. Themost common issues on the Telephone

AdviceServiceareRepairsandMaintenance,BondandLeaseBreaking.

PhoneAdviceExamples:1)Thetenantfellagainsttheframeofadoorcausingittobreak.Asdamagewasmostlikely caused by a combination of the incident and the pre-existing crack, the tenantwantedtoknowwhowasresponsiblefortherepair.Whiledamagecausedbythetenantusually have tobe repaired at their cost, this casewasnot clear cut and stresses twopoints,thatwerecommend.Thefirstistocommunicatewiththeotherparty.Thetenantwaspreparedtopaypartoftherepairandweencouragedthemtoaskthelandlordtoshare the cost of the bill. The second point is to make sure pre-existing damage isrecorded,eitherontheconditionreportorinaletterore-mailsenttothelandlordifitoccurredaftertheleasebegan.Thatwaythetenanthasevidenceincaseofadispute.2)Atenantwastoldtheyweretomoveoutastheowner’smarriagehadbrokendownandtheyneededtomovebackintotheirproperty.Theywerethreemonthsintotheir12month fixedtermleaseagreementandthetenantwasnotpreparedtomoveoutuntiltheleaseended.Weadvisedthetenantthattheyhadtherighttostayuntiltheendoftheleaseaslongastheyfulfilledtheirpartofthecontract.Incaseslikethisthebiggestpartofour job is togiveclients the confidenceand informationtheyrequire to standtheirground,asitisunlikelythatalandlordwouldpursueanevictionforwhichtheyhavenovalidground.3)Atenantreceivedabondclaimformfromtheirlandlordwiththerequesttosignit.The landlord claimed the entire bond for repairs, which the tenants consideredunreasonable.Weadvisedtheclientnottosigntheformiftheydidnotagreewithitandinstead lodge their own bond claim form with Service Tasmania. In such cases theResidential Tenancy Commissioner will make an impartial judgement on thedistributionofthebondbasedonevidenceprovidedbybothsides.

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telephone advice service. In many cases they escalate into legal casework andrepresentation.*NorthWestCLCfigurescombineface-to-faceandadvocacy/caseworkintoonefigureCLIENTADVICEANDCASEWORK:ClientadviceandcaseworkcontinuedtobeacoreactivityoftheTenants’Unionoverthelastfinancialyear.OfthetenantsassistedthroughtheHobartservice,118casefileswereopened and 57 cases were closed. In addition 21 cases were opened by LCLC in ourNorthern Service. The Casework project is particularly important as it is primarilyfocusedontenantswithcomplexneeds.Issuesthatmayrequireadvocacyandcaseworkassistance include rental arrears, bond return, lease disputes and, most urgently, thethreat of eviction. The advocacy work has been strengthened by the Tenants’ Uniondeveloping goodworking relationshipswith landlords, real estate agents, the Office ofConsumerAffairsandFairTrading,andtheRealEstate InstituteofTasmania.However,by far our most important relationship in this area is with Housing Connect and inparticular the CentacareHousing andTenancy Service (CHATS). Formany tenants, ourlegal expertise combinedwith the on-the-ground negotiation skills of the CHATS teammeanstenantshaveafarbetterchanceofgainingsuccessintheirdisputes.Additionaltothesupportweofferclientswhocontactus, inthis financialyearwehaveestablishedadutysolicitorserviceinHobart.TheHobartMagistratesCourtkindlyagreedtohavealltenancymattersheardonWednesdaymornings,soaTenants’Unionsolicitorcanbepresentateachcaseandadvisetenantswhowereunawareofourservicespriortotheirhearing.WEBSITE,NEWSLETTERS,SOCIALMEDIAANDMEMBERSHIP:Inthefinancialyear2015/16ourwebsite(tutas.org.au)wasvisitedmoreoftenthaneverbefore,with37030visitsovertheyear.That isan increaseof16percent inpagevisitscomparedtothepreviousfinancialyear.

In August 2015 the Residential Tenancy Amendments Act 2013 including minimumstandards for rental properties inTasmania commenced.Ourwebsiteproved tobe theidealvehiclefordistributinginformation,linkstofacilitatenewproceduresandupdatestoTasmaniantenants.Factsheetswere themostpopulardestination forvisitors toourwebsitewitha totalof31241downloadsovertheyear.TimelyupdatedtotheRTAamendments,ourfactsheetsand ourDon’tPanic booklet relieve our busy volunteer phone advice line by providingconciseandeasytoreadinformation.Thefactsheetswiththemostviewswere(inorder)

• LeavingLeasesEarly,

804212761 16128

20915 23785 2383531916

37030

2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16

UniqueWebsite

Visits

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• NoticetoVacate,• RepairsandMaintenance,• NoticetoTerminate,and• AccessandPrivacy.

In the past financial yearwepublished and sent out two issues of our newsletterRentRant,reachingouttocommunity,decisionmakersandpeopleworkingintheresidentialtenancysector.Withhighopeningand linkclickrates,andpositivereader feedbackweprovided insight into our work and more in depth information on developments intenancyissuesinTasmaniaandAustralia.TheTenants’Unions’Facebookpagewassetup in2011,andreceivedalmost400pagelikes by June 2015.With the creation of the pagewe are providing another avenue ofcommunicatingwithtenantsthatisbecomingincreasinglybusy.Pagelikeswentupfrom386atthebeginningofthefinancialyearto470attheendofJune2016.Ithasproventobe a useful tool to reach people, advertising information that sits on our website andcommunicationwithpeoplefromtheTasmaniancommunity.In July 2014we introduced the option of becoming an onlinemember of the Tenants’Union.Membershaveaccesstoouronlinetrainingmodulesandamembersnewssectionon our website with more in depth insight into the Tenants’ Unions work. Despite aconstantstreamofpeoplewantingamembership–41peoplejoinedinthepastfinancialyear–membershipactivityhasbeenlow.COMMUNITYLEGALEDUCATION:TheTenants’Unionisresponsibleforprovidingcommunitylegaleducationandtraining(CLE)statewidetotenantsandthehousingsectorontenancyissues,alongwithanactiveinvolvement in tenancy law reform.Our CLEs aim to provide knowledge and skills tosupportsuccessfultenanciesandminimisetheneedfordisputes.AdditionallywecontinuouslydevelopednewmodulesandupdatedexistingmaterialonourOnlineTrainingplatform to reflect legislative changes aswell as feedbackwehavereceivedfromlearners.A total of 27 Community Legal Education sessions (CLE) were conducted by RebeccaTaylor and Alex Bomford.Meredith Barton, Jeff Thompson and Ben Bartl supervised 7legalsessionoftheStudentLegalServiceattheUTASLawSchool.

• 14CLEfortenantsatCatholicare,Hobart• 2CLEforstaffatShelterTasmania• CLEfortenantsatCatholicare,Launceston• CLEforstudentsatElizabethCollege,Hobart• CLErefugeesandmigrantsattheMigrantResourceCentre,Hobart• CLEtenantsatGeorgetownCommunityHouse,Georgetown• CLEfortenantsatDorsetCommunityHouse,Dorset• CLEforstudentsatUTASCradleCoastCampus,Burnie• CLEforwomenandstaffatKarinyaWomen’sShelter,Launceston

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• CLEforwomenandstaffatHobartWomen’sShelter,Hobart• CLEforrefugeesandmigrantsatMigrantResourceCentre,Launceston• CLEforwomenandstaffatJirahHouse,Kingston• CLEfortenantsatGoodwoodCommunityCentre,Goodwood• CLEforstudentsatGuilfordYoungCollege,Glenorchy• 7SupervisionSessionsforLawStudentsattheStudentLegalServiceatthe

UniversityofTasmania,Hobart

LAWREFORMTheCommunityLawReformandPolicyworkundertakenby theTenants’Union in the2015/16yearincludedthefollowingareas:

Support for Social Housing at Macquarie Point – We worked closely with ShelterTasmania to provide a briefing to the Hobart City Council Planning Committee andResourceManagementandPlanningAppealsTribunalaboutencouragingtheprovisionofsocialhousingatMacquariePoint.WealsohadanopinionpiecepublishedinTheMercuryinDecember2015titledMacquariePointmustnotbecomeanenclaveforthewealthy.

CaseStudy:DutysolicitorsupportwithcaseofEviction

John’s real estate agent applied for his eviction in theHobartMagistrates Court.Hewasaccusedofbeinginrentarrearsandhavingcauseddamagetotheproperty.JohnrepresentedhimselfinCourtandwasluckyastheMagistrateadjournedhiscaseduetoalackofevidenceofthedamagebythelandlord.Astenancymattersareheardonaspecificdayintheweek,weareabletosendadutysolicitortosupport tenants thatwerenotawareofourservicesbeforetheirhearing.OursolicitorofferedJohnassistanceathisnextappearanceincourtonthematter.John explained that his former partner, who was not on the lease and was on thepremiseswithout John’s permission broke onewindow,while anotherwindow hadalready beenbroken at the start of John’s tenancy. Thiswas outlined inan affidavitpreparedbytheTUsolicitor.Further,thenotice JohnreceivedforhisrentarrearsbytherealestateagentdidnotstatehowmuchrentheowedthelandlordandwasthereforeinsufficientaccordingtotheResidentialTenancyAct, which outlines the information required in a notice forrentarrears.Wemadea submission, including theaffidavit aswell asoutliningour concernwiththevalidityof thenoticetovacate.Ourapplicationwassuccessful.As therealestateagentdidnotprovideevidenceof thedamageandwasunabletoconfirmhowmuchrentJohnwasallegedtoowe.AsaresulttheMagistratedismissedtheapplicationforeviction.

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ReintegrationofEx-OffendersProgram–WeheadedacoalitionofcommunitygroupsincludingShelterTasmaniaandtheTasmanianAboriginalCentrecallingforthecontinuedfundingoftheReintegrationofEx-OffendersProgramthroughtheDepartmentofHealthandHuman Services. The program provided access to transitional accommodation andpre- and post-release support for ex-prisoners, remandees and parolees who wouldotherwise be homeless on release from custody. Our advocacy included a joint lettersignedbythecoalitiontotheMinister forHumanServicesaswellasanumberofradiointerviewswithABClocalradio.Amendments to theHomesAct–ThisincludedbriefingswithbothHousingTasmaniaandtheLegislativeCouncilabouttheproposedchanges includingthetransferoftitletocommunityhousingprovidersandrightsofreviewfortenantswhosepropertiesweretobemovedtocommunityhousingproviders.RDA Rent Statistics Project - Each quarter we are able to publish rent statisticscompiledfromBondLodgementFormscollectedbytheRentalDepositAuthority.Accessto this informationprovidesallmembersof theTasmanian communitybutparticularlytenantswithinformationaboutrentsintheirlocalcommunity.

Tenancy Statistics 2015/16

6 months 13%

0ther 7%

12 months 80%

Tenant 89%

Landlord 3%

Authorised Represen-

tative 0%

3rd Party 8%

Verbal 1%

Written 99%

WhocalledtheAdviceLine?

Theoverwhelmingmajorityofourcallersaretenants.AuthorisedRepresenta;veorThirdPartyareo=enfamily

membersoftenantsorsocialworkerssuppor;ngtenants.

WhatkindofLeaseswereourCallerson?

Mosttenantsrentintheprivatemarket.Theyhave

wriAenleaseagreementandrenttheirhomeforafixedperiod,usually12months.

Boarding 0.3%

Community 1.2%

Private 95.2%

Public 3.4%

Fixed Term 86%

Periodic 14%

Repairs & Maintenance

24% Bond 15%

Other 15%

Lease Breaking 12%

Lease Query 12% Access & Privacy

6%

Notice to Vacate 5%

Notice to Terminate 5%

Rent Arrears 2%

General Information 2%

Rent Increase 2%

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

Leaving Leases Early Notice to Vacate

Repairs & Maintenance Access & Privacy

Bond Beginning a Tenancy

Minimum Standards Mould

Rent Arrears Water & Sewerage Share House Living

Smoke Alarms Boarding Premises

Tenancy Issues 2015/16RepairsandMaintenancecon;nuestobethenumberoneissuetenantsareseekingadviceabout.Weprovideadviceonthetypesofrepairsrequiredandtenants’en;tlements.

BondDisputesandBreakingaLeasefollow,astheyhaveoverthepastfewyears.Whilepeople’slifesitua;onschangetenantsareo=enstuckininafixedtermcontract,

makingitharderforthemtomoveforanewjobortoexitaviolentrela;onship.Amovetowardsnon-fixedtermleaseswouldbe

beneficialandasafeop;onforlandlordstooasvacancyrateshavedecreasedtoanew

lowinmostTasmanianregions.

2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16Repairs & Maintenance Repairs & Maintenance Repairs & Maintenance Repairs & Maintenance

Bond Bond Bond Bond

Lease Breaking Lease Breaking Lease Breaking Lease Breaking

Notice to Terminate Notice to Terminate/ Notice to Vacate

Lease Query Lease Query

Most common Issues in Advice Calls by Year

Factsheet DownloadsAnother indicator of the issues people renting their homes in Tasmania face are the number of factsheets downloaded from our website tutas.org.au. Of the 31241 overall downloads, Leaving Leases Early was the most popular, downloaded 5399 times. Leaving Leases Early has recently been updated to include both: Breaking a Lease and serving a Notice to Terminate.

We are delighted to see an increasing number of downloads of the 2015 published factsheet on Minimum Standards and hope that tenants’ knowledge about the standards will help make those hard fought for amendments to the Residential Tenancy Act will have a significant impact on the quality of housing in Tasmania.

Number of Factsheets downloaded by Topic in 2015/16

Average Weekly Rent by Dwelling Size and Region

$0.00

$50.00

$100.00

$150.00

$200.00

$250.00

$300.00

$350.00

$400.00

1 2 3 4 5+

$203

$259

$291

$352 $356

RentperW

eek

NumberofBedrooms

State*

South

North

NorthWest

$0

$200

$400

$600

$800

$1,000

$1,200

$1,400

$1,600

1 2 3 4 5+

$809

$1,036$1,150

$1,404$1,524

Bond

NumberofBedrooms

State*

South

North

NorthWest

Average Bond by Dwelling Size and Region 2015/16

The following charts provide an overview of weekly rental prices and bonds statewide and in the three main geographical regions. While the statewide, North and North-West numbers reflect a common correlation between number of bedrooms and weekly rent and bond, we have recorded a significant increase in rents for one and two bedroom properties in the South. *Some advice line callers chose not provide us with all the information we ask them about. Therefore we have information about rent from some callers, but can not allocate them to a region.

$184

$199

$213

$226$235

$249 $246

$256$247

$259

$150

$170

$190

$210

$230

$250

$270

$290

$310

2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16

Rentperweek

State

South

North

NorthWest

$220

$230

$253

$274$282

$298$291

$284

$274

$291

$150

$170

$190

$210

$230

$250

$270

$290

$310

$330

2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16

RentperW

eek

State

South

North

NorthWest

Rent for a 2 Bedroom Property 2015/16

Rent for a 3 Bedroom Property 2015/16

The most significant development of this financial year is the increase of rents for two bedroom properties in the South. It correlates with a very low vacancy rate of 0.5% for Hobart in July 2016. Comparing the statewide development over the past 5 years, rent appear to remain stable in Tasmania.

TenancyIssue 2015/16 PrevYr

Repairs&Maintenance 23% 28%Bond 20% 7%

LeaseBreak 11% 14%Other 11% 13%

LeaseQuery 9% 12%Access&Privacy 7% 9%NoOcetoVacate 7% 4%

NoOcetoTerminate 6% 6%RentArrears 3% 3%

GeneralInformaOon 2% 4%RentIncrease 1% 2%

2014/15 2015/16 ChangeonPrevYear

5YearChange

AverageRent 230 235 2.2%%%

10.3%

AverageBond 890 899 1.0% 9.1%

2BedroomAverageRent 229 221 -3.5% 11.6%

3BedroomAverageRent 214 244 14.0% 10.4%.4%

North West

16%ofallCallstotheTenants’Union’s

AdviceLine

Incomparisontootherregionshistorically:Lowestrentandbond

MoreRepairs&MaintenanceissuesLessLeaseBreaking

051015202530354045

under$150 $151-$200 $201-$250 $251-$300 $301-350 $351-400 $401+

Num

bero

fHou

seho

lds

WeeklyRentbyDwellingSize-NW

1bedroom 2bedrooms 3bedrooms 4bedrooms 5+bedrooms

0102030405060708090

$0 $1-$300 $301-$600 $601-$900 $901-$1200 $1201-$1500 $1501+

Num

bero

fHou

seho

lds

BondbyDwellingSize-NW

1bedroom 2bedrooms 3bedrooms 4bedrooms 5+bedrooms

TenancyIssue 2015/16 PrevYrRepairs&Maintenance 24% 26%

Bond 15% 17%LeaseBreaking 14% 13%

LeaseQuery 12% 8%Other 10% 11%

Access&Privacy 7% 8%NoOcetoTerminate 7% 4%

NoOcetoVacate 5% 5%RentArrears 2% 2%

GeneralInformaOon 2% 4%RentIncrease 2% 1%

2014/15 2015/16ChangeonPrevYr

5YearChange

AverageRent 244 257 5.3% 15.2%

AverageBond 921 1055 14.6% 27.4%

2BedroomAverageRent 260 235 -9.6% 14.6%

3BedroomAverageRent 230 327 42.2% 36.8%

North27%

ofallCallstotheAdviceLine

camefromtheNorth

Incomparisontootherregionshistorically:MoreleasebreakingMoreevic;onqueries

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

under$150 $151-$200 $201-$250 $251-$300 $301-350 $351-400 $401+

Num

bero

fHou

seho

lds

WeeklyRentbyDwellingbySize-North

1bedroom 2bedrooms 3bedrooms 4bedrooms 5+bedrooms

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

$0 $1-$300 $301-$600 $601-$900 $901-$1200 $1201-$1500 $1501+

Num

bero

fHou

seho

lds

BondbyDwellingSize-North

1bedroom 2bedrooms 3bedrooms 4bedrooms 5+bedrooms

TenancyIssue 2015/16

PrevYrRepairs&Maintenance 26% 26%

Bond 15% 13%LeaseQuery 14% 11%

LeaseBreaking 14% 13%Other 10% 10%

Access&Privacy 7% 8%NoOcetoVacate 5% 6%

NoOcetoTerminate 4% 3%RentArrears 2% 4%

GeneralInformaOon 2% 4%RentIncrease 1% 2%

2014/15 2015/16 ChangeonPrevYr

5YearChange

AveRent 285 310 8.8% 9.9%

AveBond 1047 1360 29.9% 30.8%

2BrAveRent 263 311 18.3% 23.9%

3BrAveRent 299 315 5.4% 2.6%%

South

57%ofallAdviceLineCallscamfrompeopleintheSouth

ofTasmania

Incomparisontootherregionshistorically:Highestrentandbond

01020304050607080

under$150 $151-$200 $201-$250 $251-$300 $301-350 $351-400 $401+

Num

bero

fHou

seho

lds

WeeklyRentbyDwellingSize-South

1bedroom 2bedrooms 3bedrooms 4bedrooms 5+bedrooms

01020304050607080

$0 $1-$300 $301-$600 $601-$900 $901-$1200 $1201-$1500 $1501+

Num

bero

fHou

seho

lds

BondbyDwellingSize-South

1bedroom 2bedrooms 3bedrooms 4bedrooms 5+bedrooms

26

Our Links TheTenants’Unionhascontinueditsassociationwiththefollowingorganisations:Memberof:

• NationalAssociationofTenantsOrganisations(NATO)• ShelterTasmania• NationalAssociationofCommunityLegalCentres(NACLC)• CommunityLegalCentresTasmania(CLCTas)• InternationalUnionofTenants• TasmanianCouncilofSocialServices(TasCOSS)• VolunteeringTasmania

NetworkPartners

• CentacareHousingandTenancyServices(CHATS)• NorthWestCommunityLegalCentre• LauncestonCommunityLegalCentre• HousingConnect

WorkingRelationshipswith

• ShelterTasmania• Colony47• Anglicare• RedShieldHousing• OfficeofConsumerAffairsandFairTrading• ResidentialTenancyCommissioner• RentalDepositAuthority• HousingTasmania,DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices• LegalAidCommissionofTasmania• HousingandCommunityResearchUnit,UniversityofTasmania• TasmanianAssociationofCommunityHouses(TACH)• AdvocacyTasmania

27

Financial Report Fortheyearended30June2016Theoperatingresultfortheyearended30June2016isaprofitof$10,581(FY15:profitof $11,123) – a steady result considering such uncertainty in our future fundingresources.The Tenants’ Union of Tasmania (TUT) remains committed to providing services totenantsthroughoutTasmania,andthisworkwouldnotbepossiblewithoutthegeneroussupportandassistancefromoursponsors.Wegratefullyacknowledgetheirsupport.Ourcore sponsors are the Tasmanian State Government and the CommonwealthGovernments.WealsoreceivedoneofffundingfromtheTasmanianCommunityFundandThe Solicitors Guarantee Fund (SGF).We strive to ensure that funds granted to us areusedappropriatelyandsolelyforthepurposesforwhichtheyhavebeenentrustedtous.IwouldalsoliketothankLouiseFosterwhosteppedintotheroleofBookkeeperwiththeTUT.Iappreciatehersupportthroughherdaytodaymanagementofthefinancials.TheTUTwasfortunatetoreceiveaoneoffgrantthroughtheSolicitorsGuaranteeFundinDecember 2015 to the amount of: $143,217.36. This grantwas in addition to our corefunding for our services (telephone advice line, drop in service, case work andrepresentation) and allowed us to continue on and expand some specific projects. It isexpectedthattheseprojectswillbecompletedbytheendof2016.Asperprioryears,bothemployeeentitlementsandcarriedforwardgrantsurplusesarefully funded.Whilst the financial position of theUnion remains steady,we continue toprepare for significant challenges to our funding in the near future to ensure that ourservice delivery remains at its best and continues to meet the needs of TasmaniansthroughouttheState.MichaelKennettTreasurerOctober2016