Thanks to advocacy from the Curtin Student Guild through Make Renting Fair WA, the State Government is now developing proposed laws to regulate student accommodation, boarding and lodging arrangements.
As an active member of Make Renting Fair WA, the Guild has helped lead the push to ensure student accommodation is included in the state’s broader rental reforms. The Guild has brought students’ experiences directly to government and is now helping shape the protections being considered.
The Guild has lodged two detailed submissions calling for student residents to receive clear and enforceable rights covering maintenance, cooling, privacy, fees, bonds, evictions and dispute resolution.
Guild President Dylan Storer said the reforms represented important progress after years of students being denied basic rental protections.
“Students have been treated as second-class renters for too long. Through the Guild’s work in Make Renting Fair WA, we have made sure student accommodation is firmly part of the reform process, and we are pushing for laws that give students the safety, dignity and rights everyone deserves in their own home.”
Submission author and Guild Representative Ebony Whitney said the current system left students with too little protection when problems arose.
“Having lived at Vickery House, I know student accommodation is not just a service, it is our home. Students deserve clear, enforceable rights when conditions are unsafe or providers fail to act.”
The submissions build on the Guild and Make Renting Fair WA’s Stacked Against Students report, which surveyed 190 students living in Curtin accommodation. It found that 91.1 per cent wanted more affordable rents and fees, while 67.4 per cent reported problems including leaks, mould, broken facilities and inadequate heating or cooling.
The Guild is calling for minimum standards for cooling, hot water, security and shared facilities, proper notice before providers enter students’ rooms, independent protection of bonds and clear timeframes for repairs. Students should also be protected from retaliation when they complain or seek help.
The submissions also call for universities to be prohibited from blocking enrolment, withholding results or imposing other academic sanctions over accommodation debt. Housing hardship should never become academic punishment.
WA currently provides student residents with some of the weakest protections in Australia. These reforms create an opportunity for the state to become a national leader.
Vice President Sustainability and Welfare Morgan Mills said the reforms were an important opportunity to improve safety, privacy and accountability in student accommodation.
“Students living in accommodation deserve to feel safe, have their privacy respected and know that serious maintenance and welfare concerns will be acted on. These reforms are an opportunity to give students clear rights and real accountability.”
There is still significant work ahead, but progress is being made. The Guild will continue working through Make Renting Fair WA to ensure the final laws reflect students’ experiences and deliver strong, lasting protections.
See our submissions below:
RTA Submission 1
RTA Submission 2