A Canberra resident has launched a petition to create a new rental commissioner for the Territory. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
A Canberra renters’ advocate is calling for the introduction of a new body dedicated to solving tenant disputes within the ACT.
Jessica Menace is urging the Legislative Assembly to create a rental commissioner position and offer a free service to resolve disputes between landlords and renters.
“I’ve heard renters telling me, ‘Oh, I just won’t bother getting my bond back’ or it takes up too much time to go to ACAT [ACT Civil & Administrative Tribunal],” she said.
“It’s upsetting when I see renters who have done the right thing, but feel it’s too hard, it’s too difficult, it takes up too much time.”
While Ms Menace praised the existing protections in force for renters (pointing to a ban on no-cause evictions and how landlords need to give a genuine reason against pet ownership), she argued a rental commissioner would have the knowledge and resources to make addressing problematic behaviour accessible.
“I think it could solve a lot of minor issues – and should something need to go to the tribunal, then it can still be moved up the chain.
“Very rarely does a tenancy issue ever make it to the Magistrates Court because we have the tribunal. Even then, we would potentially have this commissioner who could deal with things before it even got to the tribunal.”
The campaign was launched after talking with a friend about a situation she said “felt very much like a scam”.
Ms Menace also described her experience of dealing with ACAT as “exhausting”, starting when she was left with ongoing mould issues in a previous rental that a landlord refused to fix.
She said the situations weren’t unique.
“At least I had rental law protecting me, but that’s easier said than done.
“[It makes you think] you’re going to have to go to court, and you don’t really have the time or the money or the know-how to do that.
“That costs time. It costs money. If you have to take time off work, then you’re not earning money. It often requires legal knowledge that people don’t have.”
Member for Kurrajong and ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury is sponsoring the petition to create a rental commissioner position. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
In her petition description, Ms Menace pointed to the Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria as a possible model to manage disputes over situations including rental bonds, increases and repairs.
The Victorian Government established the rental dispute service in 2025; it falls under the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
She said a similar model could be created to help ACT-based renters and landlords understand their rights and obligations – the first step in resolving any dispute.
“I think the commissioner and ACAT would be separate,” she said when asked how her proposal could work.
“A lot of the time, it is a minor issue [before the Victorian body], or it’s just one thing. It doesn’t really need to go through all the tribunal processes.”
Ms Menace said creating a rental commissioner position would provide another resource and be particularly useful for those on low incomes, of an immigrant background or in insecure housing.
While acknowledging existing resources such as Legal Aid’s free tenancy helpline, she said pushing ahead with action was often costly, even with support.
“They’re overrun … Legal Aid addresses everything from criminal to family violence to tenancy to civil issues.
“They’ve only got so much time and money to help people.”
Ahead of the 2024 election, the Greens also pledged to introduce an independent rental commissioner to resolve disputes as part of its housing reforms. Leader Shane Rattenbury sponsored the petition.
The petition is available on the Legislative Assembly’s website and is open until 2 December.
