Balancing the scales of property rights: improving security of tenure for Queensland tenants – how and why

ABSTRACT Housing is a primary requirement of life and so home ownership remains the ideal for most people. However, not everyone is able to, or wants to, own their own home. These individuals depend upon rental accommodation as their form of home tenure with the number of individuals and families who live in rented accommodation steadily increasing. Ensuring that residential tenants have security of tenure for their home of choice is a right in many jurisdictions but not in Australia. Focusing on the Queensland position, the author examines the current lack of security of tenure experienced by private residential tenants in the context of the recently announced Queensland Government review, and in doing so they highlight matters requiring government attention. The article concludes by recommending changes to existing laws to improve security of tenure for tenants; as well as providing interim measures that may be adopted both long term and prior to finalisation of the current review.