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It addresses four terms of reference, including renters’ experience, rising rents and affordability, government actions to reduce rents or limit increases, and the impact of government programs on the rental sector. A client story traces repeated rent increases, arrears, rent reviews, and eviction threats, highlighting growing anxiety and constrained options as vacancy rates remain very low.",{"@graph":63,"@context":118},[64,80,101],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":41,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/the-worsening-rental-crisis-in-australia-submission-174-cafs-housing-and-homelessness-services/278108/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-worsening-rental-crisis-in-australia-submission-174-cafs-housing-and-homelessness-services/278108.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"Olivia Brown","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-02","2026-09-15",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":25},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",{"@type":102,"mainEntity":103},"FAQPage",[104,110,114],{"name":105,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":107},"What four issues does Submission 174 address?","Question",{"text":108,"@type":109},"It responds to four terms of reference: renters’ experience seeking rental housing, rising rents and affordability, actions governments can take to reduce rents or limit increases, and the impact of government programs on the rental sector.","Answer",{"name":111,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":112},"How does Cafs’ Housing and Homelessness Services support people facing homelessness risk?",{"text":113,"@type":109},"It provides a crisis entry point for people at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness through services including Tenancy Plus, TAAP, Aboriginal Tenancies at Risk, Creating Connections, Youth Transitional Support, and Male Crisis Service.",{"name":115,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What does the client story illustrate about the rent review and eviction process?",{"text":117,"@type":109},"Across multiple rent increases, Cafs supports the tenant to challenge increases through a rent review, but further increases can coincide with a Notice to Vacate where the advocate questions the stated reason, leaving limited options due to very low vacancy rates.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":120,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":122,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":124,"site_id":56},278108,1790221021,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":127},{"doc_id":124,"user_id":128,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":129,"doc_module":9,"category_id":40,"category_name":41,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":130,"file_id":131,"file_url":132,"file_type":133,"file_size":134,"view_count":25,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":47,"language":135,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":136,"faqs":137,"seo_title":138,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":139,"read_time":73},16904993612988,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","The worsening rental crisis in Australia  \nSubmission 174  \nIntroduction to Cafs  \nCafs (Child & Family Services, Ballarat) is an established, non-denominational community organisation with nearly 160 years of caring for young people, vulnerable children and their families and supporting the communities of Victoria’s Central Highlands region. The organisation has an extensive support network based on strong community partnerships across the region, with offices in Ballarat, Ararat, Daylesford and Bacchus Marsh ensuring our clients can access support locally in safe, neutral locations.  \nWe thrive on innovation, collaboration and partnerships across the Central Highlands. Cafs recognises our responsibility to ensure that people and families from diverse backgrounds feel safe and supported when they access our services. In 2021 the organisation was recognised for leadership in this regard being named as an Inclusive Employer by Diversity Council Australia and winning The Michael Kirby LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Award at the 2021 AHRI Awards.  \nCafs Housing and Homelessness Services at Bacchus Marsh and Daylesford provide the crisis entry point for those who are at risk of, or are experiencing homelessness, as part of the State Government Opening Doors Framework. Staff based at the Ballarat Head Office deliver six programs aimed at supporting people in housing crisis including Tenancy Plus, Tenants Assistance and Advocacy Program (TAAP), Aboriginal Tenancies at Risk, Creating Connections, Youth Transitional Support and Male Crisis Service.  \nTerms of Reference Addressed:  \nThis submission seeks to directly respond to four specific terms of reference based on the experience of Cafs Housing and Homelessness Team:  \n􀀀 the experience of renters and people seeking rental housing,  \n􀀀 rising rents and rental affordability.  \n􀀀 actions that can be taken by governments to reduce rents or limit rent rises.  \n􀀀 the impact of government programs on the rental sector.  \nOur Experience – A Client Story  \n2019: The Tenancy Advocacy and Assistance (TAAP) program received a referral for a 74-year-old woman who had lived without previous incidence in her rental property for 10 years. She had received a rent increase notice and wanted to challenge it. Unfortunately, she presented to Cafs outside the specified 30-day assessment timeframe and was unable to challenge the increase.  \nMarch 2020: The tenant had accrued rental arrears due to the unchallenged increase and presented to Cafs again. On this occasion our team were able to assist with the arrears and the tenancy was saved.  \nMay 2021: The tenant received yet another rental increase notice. On behalf of the tenant, Cafs applied for a Consumer Affairs Victoria rent review that resulted in the tenant’s rent being increased by only $10 per week.  \nThe worsening rental crisis in Australia  \nSubmission 174  \nApril 2023: The client presented at Cafs with yet another rental increase of $50 per week. The TAAP advocate, again, applied for a rent review and, while this was being undertaken, the tenant received a Notice to Vacate with the reason provided that the property owner, or a direct family member were moving into the property. The TAAP advocate believes that this isnot the case and had been triggered by the tenant applying for another rental review.  \nThe options for this now 79-year-old tenant, should they be evicted, are extremely limited and have resulted in considerable anxiety about their future.  \nStories of this nature are becoming increasingly common as the cost of living and interest rates continue to rise. Each day Cafs people are working to secure tenancies for people in our community who are least able to afford the rental increases imposed upon them and yet, when tenants exercise their rights for a rental review or request reasonable maintenance, they find themselves needing to find alternative housing in a region with some of the lowest vacancy rates in Victoria.  \nThe Issues  \nCOVID-19 has ","cbCaihrDwa2es2Cw","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaihrDwa2es2Cw","pdf",309274,"English","# The worsening rental crisis in Australia\n## Submission 174\n## Introduction to Cafs\n## Terms of Reference Addressed\n## Our Experience – A Client Story\n## The Issues","[{\"question\":\"What four issues does Submission 174 address?\",\"answer\":\"It responds to four terms of reference: renters’ experience seeking rental housing, rising rents and affordability, actions governments can take to reduce rents or limit increases, and the impact of government programs on the rental sector.\"},{\"question\":\"How does Cafs’ Housing and Homelessness Services support people facing homelessness risk?\",\"answer\":\"It provides a crisis entry point for people at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness through services including Tenancy Plus, TAAP, Aboriginal Tenancies at Risk, Creating Connections, Youth Transitional Support, and Male Crisis Service.\"},{\"question\":\"What does the client story illustrate about the rent review and eviction process?\",\"answer\":\"Across multiple rent increases, Cafs supports the tenant to challenge increases through a rent review, but further increases can coincide with a Notice to Vacate where the advocate questions the stated reason, leaving limited options due to very low vacancy rates.\"}]","The worsening rental crisis in Australia - Submission 174 - CAFS Housing and Homelessness Services | PDF",1789507015]