But Daniel Andrews tells Guardian Australia the plan closes ‘loophole’ being exploited amid housing crisis
An Australian-first ban on rent bidding that extends to prospective tenants could inadvertently cause Victorian landlords to raise prices, the peak real estate industry body says, as advocates call for stronger enforcement.and described the changes to Guardian Australia as “fair”.
But in those states tenants are able to offer more than the advertised price, and advocates have previously criticisedAndrews conceded there has been “incredible pressure” on prospective tenants to stump up thousands of dollars in the tight rental market, despite rent bidding being banned since 2021.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup caught promoting rent bidding since the practice was banned in 2022. At the time Fair Trading said it was taking “an educative approach” to the new laws, issuing 300 warnings. Fair Trading was unable to provide more recent figures on Thursday.Farah Farouque from Tenants Victoria said Victoria had taken a similarly cautious approach to NSW in enforcing its rental reforms.