- More than 1,000 Gold Coasters get rental support through state housing plan
- More ways to access financial help with new online option, RentConnect officers
- Part of Miles Government's Homes for Queenslanders plan alongside bans on rent bidding, code of conduct and portable bond loans
Nearly 10,000 Queensland households – including more than 1,000 on the Gold Coast - have received rental support through the Miles Government's Homes for Queenslanders plan.
In the first full quarter since the plan was launched, thousands of Queensland households accessed the government's $160 million Rent Relief package, which can help pay for rent increases, arrears and bonds.
Frontline RentConnect staff worked with more than 2,500 households in need, while more than 3,000 bond loans, more than 1,000 rental grants and more than 500 rental security subsidies were provided.
To help more Queenslanders access support, the government has rolled out 42 RentConnect staff across the state and has also launched the ability for Queenslanders to access rental support online.
It adds to a raft of reforms introduced by the government to help the one third of Queensland households who rent.
Just recently, the government passed legislation to ban rent bidding, establish a code of conduct and start work on a portable bond scheme to allow renters to move their bond from one place to the next.
It also gives renters a fee-free option to pay rent, requiring evidence for any bond claims, limiting reletting costs and further protecting renters' privacies by requiring 48 hours entry notice and a prescribed form for rental applications.
It's a stark contrast to the LNP who axed a code of conduct for the rental sector and slashed funding for tenancy support services across the state.
As stated by Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon:
"One in three Queensland households rent, which is why our Homes for Queenslanders plan makes supporting renters a key pillar.
"The $160 million rent relief package is providing real cost of living relief for those who need it, and adds to other support we've implemented like $1,300 off power bills, 50 cent fares and 20 per cent off car rego.
"Since we launched our Homes for Queenslanders plan, new CoreLogic data shows we're starting to see the rental market ease, and we won't let up when it comes to making sure people can get the cost of living help they need.
"That's unlike the LNP who tore up a code of conduct for the rental sector and gutted funding for renters to get tenancy support.
"The same LNP who have now sharpened their knives, ready to cut thousands of homes for Queenslanders at a time when we need more construction, not less."
As stated by Natalie of Pimpama who received a Rental Security Subsidy to help her pay her rent after rent increased to $610 a week:
"It came to a point where I was choosing between food and rent. But when you choose food, you end up behind on the rent.
"I went down to the Housing Service Centre and they introduced me to RentConnect. I've lived on the Gold Coast most of my life, and have been on hard times before. There's help out there but I won't use it unless I really need it but I had been informed the housing office was there in the past. I did think there's not a lot of help out there for people who are renting in the private rental market but it's amazing that there is.
"Without that support, I'm not sure where I'd be right now. It gives you that timeframe where you can plan ahead, you can budget properly and you don't have to worry about choosing food or rent."
