Residential Tenancies & COVID-19 Update

An important update to the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) and it's response to the COVID-19 pandemic was announced this morning.

What's changed at a quick glance:

• The Emergency Period under the Residential Tenancies (COVID-19 Response) Act 2020 has been extended to 28 march 2021
• Mandatory conciliation and the rent relief grant will continue to be rolled out
• There's a new Landlord Hotline phone advisory service available

What the extension of the Emergency Period means

The Emergency Period was put in place in response to COVID-19 and came into effect on 30 March. Under the Act, the period was due to come to an end on 29 September 2020. You can find more detail on that in our blog from when the new legislation was passed.

This period has now been extended to 28 March 2021, which means until then the following will continue:

• Restrictions on evicting tenants as a result of the impacts of COVID-19
• Continued encouragement for landlords and tenants to work together and negotiate any rent relief where the tenant has been affected by COIVD-19
• Mandatory conciliation to assist in dispute resolution

Why has the Emergency Period been extended?

In short - to maintain a level of stability in the market place.

The Minister for Commerce, John Quigley, said the threat of second wave COVID-19 is still real and the extension helps to provide stability for everyone. You can read more of his announcement here.

The extension also brings the WA legislation in line with the emergency periods in SA and VIC.

What does it mean for me as a landlord?

If you have issued a notice of a rent increase or notice to vacate to your tenants, to come into effect at was previously the end of the Emergency Period (29 September), those rent increases or notices to vacate cannot take effect now until March 2021.

Where can I get further advice?

The Department of Mines, Industry Relations and Safety (DMIRS) or Consumer Protection have further detail available in this link. The Consumer Protection Landlord Hotline has also been set up to offer specialist assistance to landlords during this time. The hotline number is 1300 304 054 - but if you're one of our landlords, our number is your hotline as we are here to help you understand what these changes mean.