We respectfully urge the South Australian Government to implement meaningful reforms to residential tenancy laws for SA in order to create a more equitable and inclusive rental environment.

The proposed amendments include:

1. Mandatory pet-friendly rental properties: Landlords must permit pets and cannot discriminate against families with pets. Disclosure of pet ownership in rental applications will only be required after a lease agreement is signed. Landlords can charge an additional $10.00 per week as Pet Rent and require an extra $500 Pet Bond, in addition to the standard housing bond, to account for potential damages.

This change is crucial as many families are forced to choose between relinquishing their cherished pets or facing homelessness due to the ongoing rental crisis. Animal shelters across South Australia are overburdened with surrendered pets as a result of the existing residential laws that discriminate against pet owners.

2. Non-disclosure of children on application forms: To prevent discrimination against families with children, applicants will no longer be required to list their children on rental application forms.

3. Prohibition of rent bidding: The advertised rental price must be the final agreed-upon price. Listings without a specified price will not be allowed, effectively banning rent bidding practices. If found in breech of this the realestate agent can be fined up to $50,000 dollars 

4. Landlord's bond: Landlords will be required to deposit a bond equivalent to 4 weeks of rent, or a maximum of $3,000, into the trust account of the real estate agent managing their property. This bond will be used to cover emergency repairs and maintenance costs. The trust account must maintain this bond balance at all times.

5. Landlord are required to give tenants more information in regards to what their intentions are with the property and if they are planning to sell the property in the near future to give tenants the opertunity of making an informed decision. 

6. That landlords who don’t renew tenant agreements for the purposes of a rental increase. If the landlord doesn’t renew a tenancy agreement, the price of the property must remain the same for the next 12 months if no reasonable cause has been given.

These additional amendments serve to further protect tenants' rights and promote a more equitable and transparent rental market in South Australia.