Western Australia’s Rental Protections: Falling Behind When Tenants Need It Most

When was the last time a basic standard of safety in housing felt like a privilege rather than a right For many renters in Western Australia the answer is now. According to a new National Shelter report WA ranks as the second-worst jurisdiction in the nation for rental protections. The issue is not just numbers or policy items skipped. The gap between what renters are promised and what they actually receive has grown into what may become a crisis of dignity, security, and fairness.

What the Report Reveals: Promises Unfulfilled, Protections Deferred

The two-year performance report by National Shelter and the National Association of Renters’ Organisations benchmarks how Australian states and territories are implementing the commitments of the 2023 National Cabinet’s ‘Better Deal for Renters’ agreement. Western Australia emerges near the bottom of every key measure. Shelter WA+2ABC+2

Key reforms where WA has made no progress include: removing no-grounds evictions; limiting break fees on fixed-term leases; simplifying rental applications; protecting renters’ personal information; and introducing minimum housing standards. Shelter WA+2ABC+2

Some reforms have been passed: rent increases limited to once a year; rent bidding banned; support for tenants experiencing domestic or family violence. These are steps forward but for many renters they fall short of the protections that make a home secure. ABC+1

What Renters Experience When Policy Lags Behind

Real world impacts are already severe. Many renters report living under strain:

• Homes with mould, dampness, pests, leaks, broken appliances or unsafe locks are not isolated cases but widespread. Many are afraid to complain, fearing eviction or rent increases. Make Renting Fair WA+1
• Those who accept substandard conditions often do so because the alternative means no home at all. With vacancy rates low and rents rising faster than incomes, choices are shrinking. SBS+2ABC+2
• Personal information, application processes and fees remain barriers. Break-lease fees and unclear or invasive criteria allow landlords or agents to shift cost or risk onto renters. Shelter WA+1

These are not hypothetical scenarios. For families, single parents, people relying on pensions or other modest incomes, these are daily realities. The lack of reforms in WA places renters in a weak position to negotiate or safely object to bad living conditions. Many simply cannot move.

Why WA Is Lagging Despite Wealth and Capacity

That WA is wealthy—rich in natural resources, with a strong economy—makes the lag especially striking. When resources and capacity exist but protections fall behind, the result is not just policy failure but social fracture. Shelter WA+1

Part of the problem is political hesitancy around balancing investor interests and renter protections. The current government has rejected removing no-grounds evictions, arguing that investor confidence needs protection alongside renter rights. ABC

Another major issue is that many reforms require infrastructure: legislated minimum housing standards, enforcement mechanisms, systems to monitor compliance. Delays in these systems translate directly into renters continuing to live without basic safety, health, or security.

What Needs to Change: Moving from Promise to Practice

To restore trust and ensure basic rights, WA must act with both urgency and clarity. The following steps deserve priority:

1. End no-grounds evictions without delay, or take concrete steps toward ending them. Tenants deserve reasons for eviction to prevent injustice and insecurity.

2. Adopt and enforce minimum rental housing standards across the state so that tenants are not forced to accept unsafe or unhealthy homes as a condition of having a roof.

3. Limit break fees and simplify applications, alongside protecting renters’ personal information so that the asymmetry in power between renter and landlord is reduced.

4. Strengthen oversight and accountability, ensuring that promised reforms are tracked, enforced, and reported transparently.

5. Support renters in enforcing their rights, including legal support, advocacy, and channels for complaint without fear of reprisal.

An Inspiring Way Forward

At TMFS, we believe that housing is more than shelter. It is foundational to security, opportunity, health, and dignity. When renters are left exposed—to evictions without reason, to dangerous living conditions, to financial penalties hidden in fine print—it is not just a failure of policy. It is a failure of society.

Western Australia has the capacity—economic strength, political resources, social will—to lead. Not lag. To transform law into protection, promises into practice. If WA steps forward now, it sets a precedent for what it means to respect renters, what it means to govern with fairness.

For advocates, policy makers, and tenants the call is clear: insist on the reforms already agreed; measure them; enforce them; restore balance to the landlord-tenant relationship. Everyone deserves more than a roof. Everyone deserves a home that respects their right to safety, stability, and dignity.

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