This month I am providing avenues for people affected when confronted with this situation.
Always an unsavoury topic and unlikely to be raised at your next dinner party, however it has become increasingly relevant and impactful on more lives especially since the Covid 19 pandemic.
Legislative laws were updated in the Tasmanian Residential Tenancies Act 1997 in May 2019 to accommodate for this.
Information for Landlords…What you Need to Know! & Information for Tenants…What are Your Rights!
Your survivor tenant(s) may apply to the Magistrates Court for a Family Violence Order.
Once this order has been obtained the survivor tenant can apply to have the Court to make an order to :-
Terminate the lease.
End the perpetrators lease (name removed)…This decision will be made independent of Agents and Landlords i.e. permission is not required or requested.
A new lease can be made in the survivor tenant’s name.
Alternatively the survivor tenant may have their name removed from the lease to avail themselves of alternative accommodation in which case the lease agreement would continue with the perpetrator.
If the survivor tenant remains they are able to change locks without permission but are required to provide new keys to agent or landlord. Improved security at the premise may also occur such as security doors and screens
