The SA Government has made a number of changes to the Residential Tenancies Act which became effective from 1st March this year.
Some of the changes will no doubt add more red tape and work for Property Managers and owners alike, however one of the changes is certainly a step in the right direction regarding tenants who get behind in their rent.
The previous law allowed for the serving of a Form 2 after 14 days in arrears, and then a tedious secondForm 7 to call for a Tribunal hearing for vacant possession.
The new legislation states that Landlords who have served tenants with a Form 2 for rent arrears twice in 12 months can apply directly to the Tribunal for vacant possession if the tenant is in rent arrears for a third time. (This only applies where the Form 2 has been served after 1 March 2014.) The Tribunal may make an order for a payment plan rather than terminate the agreement.
This is certainly going to make the job of dealing with chronic arrears much simpler and easier!
For a summary of all the changes, please download the PDF here.
