Australian Property News

Taskforce tackles excessive rent increases in mining towns

Posted on Tuesday, December 06 2011 at 1:52 PM

Landlords reaping the benefits of growth in Queensland’s mining areas might soon find it harder to increase the rent by enormous amounts every six or 12 months.

New tougher tenancy laws are being put in place, allowing tenants to challenge excessive rent increases.

The laws are part of a rent affordability taskforce, which has been designed to help struggling tenants pay their rent.

Queensland Housing Minister Karen Struthers says the taskforce will assess the rental market in Gladstone, Moranbah, Blackstone and Mackay and provide support to tenants.

“I’m pleased to announce new services to work specifically for low income households in resource communities; a new RentConnect service will now help locals under housing stress to find affordable rental properties in resource towns,” she says.

“My agency has also placed an immediate hold on the sale of government housing and land in these communities, except for the sale of affordable housing.”

The taskforce will also force companies to build more housing as part of their project’s approval and allocate new rental properties at 20 per cent below market prices.