The letter coincides with action coordinated by the Tenants Union of NSW, supported by around 100 other organisations including RLC, calling for a moratorium on evictions and other measures to support renters during COVID-19.
The #NoEvictionsCovid19 petition was delivered to the Prime Minister with more than 10,000 signatures calling for urgent government action to protect renters.
A temporary six-month stay on evictions 'for people experiencing financial hardship' was announced by the Prime Minister on 29 March. On 13 April, the NSW Government confirmed plans to implement a six-month moratorium on evictions to support tenants financially disadvantaged by the COVID-19 crisis.
Redfern Legal Centre's letter, sent by RLC CEO Joanna Shulman on behalf of RLC's Inner Sydney Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Service (ISTAAS), calls on the NSW government to:
- Stop ALL evictions, not just evictions for rental arrears
- Cover ALL renters including social housing tenants, boarders and lodgers
- Defer unlawful threats of eviction
- Implement health and safety measures for renters in shared accommodation, and
- Consider how we prevent an unmanageable debt crisis caused by arrears
Download the letter
See also:
Renting and Coronavirus Statement (June 2020)
Six-month moratorium on residential tenancy evictions announced in NSW (April 2020)
