RENT Caps NOW

for rent you can afford

Unlimited rent increases should be illegal. But every year, more of your wages go straight into your landlord’s pockets.

That’s because, under Labor, property investors can put up your rent by any amount. And in the last 5 years rents have gone up 2.5 times faster than wages. 

It doesn’t have to be this way.

The Greens ended rental bidding and no grounds evictions – we can make rent controls a reality too. 

We will cap rent increases so you can afford your home, and even save for the future. 

Our plan

 
  1. Cap rent rises so they can’t go up faster than wages.
  2. Crack down on dodgy agents and landlords with an independent regulator.
  3. Close the loopholes to make renting secure and fair.
  4. Enforce and increase the tax on empty homes to free up homes to rent and buy.

 

Rent caps now

We'll cap rents so they can't go up faster than your wages.

Our plan is to freeze rents for two years, to give wages the chance to catch up to rents, and ban rent increases in the first two years of every new tenancy. Then we’ll limit rent rises in any given year to wage growth of that year (or inflation if that’s lower), so your rent can’t go up faster than wages.

We’ll tie rent increases to the property, not the tenant, so investors can’t kick you out to put up the rent. 

Find out how much you’d save with the greensrentcalculator.com.

Crack down on dodgy agents and landlords

We’ll crack down on dodgy landlords with an independent regulator who will:

  • Establish a landlord licensing scheme, with revocation of licences for serious or multiple breaches
  • Require rent-worthy certificates and energy efficiency disclosure for all leases on advertising
  • Conduct independent inspections and enforce penalties for failing to meet minimum standards or carry out repairs
Close the loopholes

Property investors exploit loopholes in the legislation that keep renting unfair and insecure. The Greens will close the loopholes, so renters can count on having a secure, long-term home. We will:

  • Allow renters to stay put when their home is sold to another investor
  • Guarantee renters’ right of return after renovations
  • Introduce a 3-year re-leasing ban after a notice to vacate due to the landlord or a family member moving in
  • Prohibit rent increases in the first 2 years of a lease
  • Prohibit privacy invasions and continuous recordings at inspections
Tax empty homes

The last census revealed that there are 300,000 empty homes in Victoria, representing an 11.1% vacancy rate. In response, the Greens successfully introduced a tax on empty homes across the state. Now we want to strengthen it.

  • Double the vacancy tax, with investors paying 2% in the first year, 4% in the second year and 6% in the third year that a property is empty.
  • Enforce the tax: The current system relies on a self-declaration system, resulting in just 40% of investors with empty homes actually paying the tax. We will enforce the tax like they do in Vancouver, where 90% of empty homes pay.
  • Expand the tax to include commercial properties: with so many shopfronts and offices sitting empty, expanding the vacant property tax incentivises investors to rent out or sell properties that aren’t being used.

This will raise hundreds of millions in revenue every year, to go towards cutting stamp duty, building public housing and enforcing renters’ rights.