The Tenants’ Union is an independent organisation initially formed by a group of tenants who came together to promote the rights and interests of people renting their homes in the ACT. Although we are called the Tenants’ Union, we help all renters, which means both tenants and occupants. TU members include private, public and community housing tenants, as well as boarders and lodgers, people living in student accommodation, caravan parks and emergency accommodation, and others interested in supporting the work of the TU.

Many of the problems renters face can be too big for one individual to tackle alone. Renters need a group that will talk to government, media, landlord groups and real estate agents on our behalf. We need a group that can express our views and concerns.

The Tenants’ Union is committed to addressing the inequities that exist between renters and property investors.  To tenants and occupants, our houses are our homes, but to the owner they are simply an investment.  With your support the Tenants’ Union can provide a stronger voice for tenants and occupants.  Our success depends on the continued support and resourcing of members.

TU Mission Statement

The ACT Tenants’ Union is an organisation for tenants by tenants that seeks to enable all tenants to enjoy appropriate, affordable, accessible and secure housing in the ACT.

Core Values

Please note that these values reflect our work as a funded organisation with 6 staff, they are not all achievable not that we do not receive any funding.

The ACT Tenants’ Union is a non-profit community organisation committed to:

  •  the participatory involvement of tenants to achieve its vision and aims and promoting rental housing which meets the needs of tenants;
  • ensuring tenants’ views are recognised and incorporated into decision making processes;
  • educating tenants and other stakeholders about their rights and responsibilities;
  • promoting self help mechanisms for tenants seeking dispute resolution;
  • fostering effective dispute resolution mechanisms;
  • ensuring provision of high quality assistance to tenants through input into effective delivery of a Tenants’ Advice Service (TAS) and other tenancy support services;
  • fostering high morale and work satisfaction, and providing career and development opportunities for TU and TAS staff (as far as possible);
  • the continued use of resources resulting from investment of tenants’ bond money to support the rights of tenants, and increasing funds targeted to directly supporting the rights of tenants;
  • supplementing funded resources with effective voluntary resources and coordinating both to ensure the TUACT is recognised as a well-managed organisation with effective internal and external stakeholder relationships.

History

Tenancy has been an issue for ACT residents for many years.  In August 1981 a community meeting of tenants and other concerned people decided to establish a group to represent public and private tenants in the ACT.   Tenants’ Union ACT (TUACT) was incorporated on 10 September 1981 with the support of the Welfare Rights and Legal Centre (WRLC).  TUACT had a desk in the WRLC offices in the old Griffin Centre on Bunda Street in Civic and held regular meetings.

In 1990, galvanised by impending legislation to set up a Rental Bond Authority, the first major achievement was when TUACT was successful in obtaining a small seeding grant that allowed the organisation to rent some space (pay a contribution for the desk space), publish some information leaflets and begin to think seriously about opening for business.  The ACT Government sought submissions in relation to the use of the interest on bond money to be held by the Office of Rental Bonds agreed that a small portion of the funds should be spent for the collective good of tenants, and that an independent tenants’ advice service would be an appropriate use for the money.

Unfortunately the funds available were not sufficient to fund a new standalone service.  The TU and the Welfare Rights and Legal Centre worked together to explore the possibility of offering a joint service – something that it was thought would be an unbeatable combination with the Union bringing the tenants’ perspective and WRLC providing the much needed expertise and experience in the legal side of tenancy matters.  WRLC had already been providing tenancy advice through their advice lines), and received some Commonwealth funding for assisting public housing tenants (funds that went to TUs in other jurisdictions.   So when the Office of Rental Bonds advertised for expressions of interest, they were ready with a joint proposal.

The opening of the Tenants’ Advice Service on 10 August 1994 represented the culmination of a lot of hard work behind the scenes.  Since 1994 the TAS has provided the focus for much of TU work, initially with the service being managed jointly by TUACT and WRLC, then in 2006 TUACT took over sole management of the service.  Through TAS, the TU has continually worked towards achieving its goals as stated in our Mission Statement and core values.

For 26 years the TU operated as a community legal centre providing a well respected free legal service for people renting in the ACT and also very importantly a voice for those people ensuring that renter’s issues were raised with community and government.  Unfortunately in 2019 the ACT Government decided that a stand alone specialist service providing a range of services for ACT renters was not needed and gave the service funding to Legal Aid to operate an advice service as part of their general legal practice.

The TU is very concerned that there is no longer funding for monitoring the needs and issues for renters in the ACT, for developing policy and responses to those issues.  There is also no longer fuding to share information with renters and the ACT community about changes to tenancy law and other issues as they arise.   The TU continues to operate as a small volunteer service with no funding, no office and no paid staff.  We manage this website and and undertake policy work as best we can.

The video below is from our funded days.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Tenants’ Union ACT publishes this website as a service to the Canberra public. Please note that the information on this site is only relevant to renters in the ACT.

This website provides information about the law designed to help users understand legal rights and obligations. However legal information is not the same as legal advice (the application of law to an individual's specific circumstances). Although we make all efforts to ensure our information is accurate and useful, we recommend you consult the Tenants Advice Service for advice specific to your circumstances. You are also able to consult an independent solicitor for a second opinion.

Please note that this website is NOT intended to be used as a substitute for specific legal advice or opinions and the transmission of this information is NOT intended to create a solicitor-client relationship between the Tenants’ Union ACT and members of the public.

Tenants’ Union ACT makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currency, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use.  Please also note when the page was last updated, as the law may have changed.