On 29 March 2020, the Queensland Government acted quickly to legislate its COVID-19 response following the National Cabinet agreed 6-month moratorium for rent arrears caused by COVID-19 impacts.

 

Changes from 30 September 2020

Queensland will transition back towards normal residential tenancy arrangements.

What do these changes mean for owners and tenants?

 

What will change

The six-month eviction moratorium, and measures implemented to support it, will no longer apply after 29 September 2020, including:

• fixed term agreement extensions for COVID-19 impacted tenants
• the 6 month moratorium on evictions
• adjusted rent and bond processes that support parties to negotiate arrangements to manage COVID-19 impacts on their tenancies
• mandatory conciliation of COVID-19 related tenancy disputes through the Residential Tenancies Authority.

 

What will continue

Other protections will continue to apply until 31 December 2020, including:

• provisions allowing tenants experiencing domestic and family violence to end their tenancies quickly
• protections for tenants against being listed in a default tenancy database for rent arrears caused by COVID-19 impacts
• limits on re-letting costs for eligible tenants who end their fixed term tenancies early
• short term tenancy statement extensions for moveable dwellings
• entry restrictions and requirements to support COVID-19 social distancing measures
• relaxed repair and maintenance obligations.

 

If you need assistance negotiating tenancy terms, we are here to help.

If you have any queries regarding this article or need legal assistance please call us on 07 5597 3366 or fill out the ‘Contact Us‘ form at the bottom of the page.

 

 

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If you have any queries regarding this article or need legal assistance please call us on 07 5597 3366 or fill out the ‘Contact Us‘ form at the bottom of the page.

Please note that this article has been prepared by Bell Legal Group, for information purposes only. It is not legal advice nor should it be relied upon as such.