Temporary COVID-19 support measures extended for Canberra tenants

The ACT government has extended support measures in a bid to assist tenants affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

A number of short-term changes were made to the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 when Canberra went into a hard lockdown last August, with the commencement of the Residential Tenancies (COVID-19 Emergency Response) Declaration 2021.

ACT attorney-general Shane Rattenbury said that, with the continued circulation of the coronavirus, the government had decided to extend the declaration for a further 12 weeks until May 11, 2022, “to support the most vulnerable in our community”.

Under the support measures, affected tenants who fall behind on rent during the moratorium period are protected from eviction, provided rent is being paid when it falls due.

Households subject to quarantine or self-isolation are also protected during the quarantine period. 

The declaration also includes provisions enabling landlords and tenants to negotiate a temporary reduction to their rent or deferral of their payments. 

If an affected household needs to end a fixed-term lease early, they can do so without penalty, provided they give three weeks’ notice and evidence that they have been impacted.

If the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT) has made a termination order or issued a warrant for eviction during a quarantine period, the tenant may be able to apply to the body to have the notice suspended. In addition, those who are evicted during their quarantine period won’t have their name added to a database of defaulting tenants.

“Despite lockdown ending and our graduated return to normal life in the ACT, many renters still face pressures, including from financial pressures that built up during the lockdown period,” Mr Rattenbury said in a media statement.

“Renters who are having difficulties paying their rent can apply for a one-off grant of $1000 through Care Financial Counselling Service, which is administering the fund on behalf of the ACT government.”

The ACT government has so far handed out 70 grants as part of its Rental Relief Fund to struggling households since it launched in November.