Shelter NSW joins over 30 NSW community, faith based organisations and unions in calling for ongoing tenant support.

Many families and households continue to feel the impacts of COVID-19. At the end of March the eviction moratorium will end and Commonwealth COVID-19 income supports will drop away.

The end of March looms large for so many low-income households and families.

Gaining employment remains difficult and accessing affordable rental housing has become even more difficult – especially in regional areas. 
Many tenants across the state have accrued substantial rental arrears debts over the last year – many with no reasonable chance of being able to repay those debts. 

On Thursday 4 March the NSW Government announced a six-month transition period following the end of moratorium protections on 26 March.

We welcome Minister Anderson’s acknowledgement of the need for continued support and share his concern, that without transitional protections, tenants with COVID-induced rental arrears will be vulnerable to eviction once protections fall away.

Shelter NSW has joined other groups in offering to work with the NSW Government to ensure proposed protections are as effective as possible and appropriate supports are available for renting households.  We are keen to work with the NSW government to ensure that through the transition period a range of key protections are kept in place at a time when NSW, particularly in regional areas, is in rental crisis.

For more information about our concerns and recommendations please refer to the open letter below, signed by 40 organisations – including Shelter NSW.

March-2021-Open-letter-extend-protections-and-support-NSW-renters-during-transition