A word from our CEO
The pandemic year has been deeply challenging for many renters who’ve lost jobs or hours — and felt their sense of security slip away. We have a window into these challenges from the nearly 65,000 agreements which have been formally registered as rent reductions with Consumer Affairs Victoria.
The package of emergency rental protections introduced by the Victorian Government to cover COVID-19 has been helpful in a painful year, but the figure cited above also points to the minimum number of tenancies where pre-COVID rent payments are now likely unsustainable.
Leading up to March 2021, as we grapple with the scenario when key COVID-19 protections expire and we transition to the new Residential Tenancies Amendment Act, Tenants Victoria will continue to speak up for our state’s two million renters.
Our work with renters on the ground this year has shown that, sometimes, we aren’t all in this together. It was a privilege to be able to help those who came to us for help to find safety and security in their homes. As a new year emerges, we remain focused on helping people to find safe, secure and affordable homes – an essential foundation for a good life.
May the festive season be calm and restful after the storm of 2020.
– Jennifer Beveridge
|