Ease

Ease housing pressures through stable, secure and accessible housing options

Every Queenslander deserves access to a home that is safe, secure, accessible and affordable.

To support this, Queensland is building a housing system that:

• is well-regulated and efficient
• provides a diverse range of housing options for all age groups
• responds to the changing needs of communities
• balances the interests of renters, residents, housing providers and property owners.

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021, around 1 in 3 Queensland households rent. As Queensland’s population grows and ages, we’re ensuring our housing market grows and innovates to meet these changing needs.

By prioritising consumer protections, inspiring investor confidence and ensuring stability and choice, we can create a housing system that works for all Queenslanders and supports Queensland’s growth now and into the future.

Key intiatives

A market that works for everyone

Our housing market has different options to suit people at all stages of their life. A strong rental market requires:

• ample supply
• effective regulation
• inclusive frameworks that balance the rights and needs of renters and property owners
• considerations for people living within community titles schemes and multi-unit dwellings.

We’re working to deliver flexible, innovative and diverse markets to ease housing constraints. This approach will:

• promote stability
• improve housing diversity
• encourage investment
• ensure the market adapts to the changing needs of the community.

Connecting Queenslanders to boost housing confidence

Access to the right information and tailored support can enable people to make informed choices and find and stay in their home, providing them with stability and security.

We’re connecting Queenslanders to the resources and support they need to live in the rental market. This includes:

• the Supercharged Solar for Renters program
• tailored services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people with disability renting to access and stay in their home
• identifying and showcasing innovative housing options and living arrangements.

Supporting seniors with dignity and choice

We’re ensuring older Queenslanders’ needs are met through an increased range of housing options.

Over the next 2 decades, the number of people aged over 65 is expected to grow by more than 600,000 – increasing at a faster rate than any other age group.

Queensland’s ageing population is increasing the demand for housing in the seniors living sector that supports older Queenslanders to maintain their independence and stay connected to community, including:

• residential parks
• retirement villages
• residential services
• alternative housing options and pathways.

Residential parks and retirement villages

Recent reforms have strengthened consumer protections to help support the long-term viability of residential parks and retirement villages and improve transparency for everyone.

The reforms make it easier for prospective residents to:

• compare the lifestyle and service offers available
• better understand contracts
• know the ongoing costs and benefits before deciding to live in a park or village.

These reforms will ensure consumer confidence and help encourage long-term investment in residential parks and retirement villages.

We will continue to work with the sector, including monitoring the impact of these legislative changes, to ensure the regulatory and legislative environment supports investor confidence and provides appropriate protections for residents.

Residential services

A review of the Residential Services Act 2002 will focus on regulating residential services as accommodation providers, including where food service or low levels of personal care are provided.

The review will focus on ensuring legislation:

• is fit for purpose
• provides minimum standards for the sector
• protects residents with appropriate safeguards.

Case study

Rental reforms supporting Queensland renters

An elderly tenant experiencing harassment from neighbours and excessive noise in her neighbourhood wanted to end her lease early. However, she was concerned about the cost and stress involved.

After speaking with Tenants Queensland, she learned that reletting costs had been capped during recent changes to the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008. This gave her certainty that she would pay no more than 3 weeks’ rent if she ended her tenancy early.

Knowing this information, she felt confident leaving the property and securing a safer, more suitable home without having to pursue a stressful tribunal process.

When the agent initially requested higher fees, the tenant relied on the capped reletting provisions. As a result, she only paid for the time the property was vacant.

The reform helped achieve a fair outcome for everyone involved: the tenant was protected from excessive costs, while the property owner was not left out of pocket.

It reflects the benefits of Queensland’s broader package of rental law reforms, which aim to balance the rights and needs of renters with the viability of providing housing options for property owners. This helps create a fairer and more responsive rental market for Queenslanders.