Following extensive advocacy by Women’s Legal Service NSW, the Tenants’ Union of NSW, many community legal centres and many other community organisations, changes to NSW renting laws that provide greater protections for domestic violence victims-survivors will commence on 28 February 2019.
The changes include the following.
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The ability to end your tenancy early and without penalty in circumstances of domestic violence.
You will be required to provide a Domestic Violence Termination Notice to your landlord with one of the following forms of evidence attached:
- a certificate of conviction;
- a provisional, interim or final domestic violence order (DVO), also known as an apprehended violence order (AVO), including one from another Australian state or in New Zealand; or
- a family law injunction; or
- a declaration by a medical practitioner.
You will also need to give a copy of the Domestic Violence Termination Notice to any other tenants you were living with (but you don’t need to attach evidence of domestic violence to this).
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You will not be responsible for damage to your rental property if it was caused by a perpetrator of violence during a domestic violence offence. The perpetrator will be responsible for such damage.
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A ban on being blacklisted when you end your tenancy through a domestic violence termination notice.
Resources are being developed to explain the reforms and will be available soon on Women’s Legal Service NSW website and Tenants’ Union of NSW website.