I am a university student and am renting a studio apartment. I have been living there for about 6 months and the landlord hassles me all the time. He drops by and knocks on the door. He wanted to put the rent up. I told him I am on a really tight budget and cannot afford a rent rise at the moment. We had an argument about a whole lot of issues the other day. Now I am really worried he will evict me. I really can’t afford to lose my apartment or to go to court. What can I do?
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Answer by Kate Dodgson, Brisbane 4000 QLD
- You should make an appointment at a Community Legal Centre that specialises in tenancy issues to talk about your legal issues.
- These services only apply to residential tenancy. Some only provide advice over the phone while others can do limited case work advice.
- Western Australia, Queensland, the ACT, NSW, Tasmania and Victoria all have dedicated CLCs for tenancy problems.
- Darwin Community Legal Service provides tenancy advice for residents of the Northern Territory.
- Anglicare South Australia runs a Tenants’ Information and Advocacy Service.