Your NNC: Blog
NSW Rental Commissioner, Ms Trina Jones alongside local community members at NNC.
Shaping the future of shared accommodation in NSW Sept 2025 Newtown Neighbourhood Centre continues to advocate for better protections for people in boarding houses, helping shape policy that reflects community needs.
Newtown Neighbourhood Centre recently participated in a consultation process which involved meetings on August 8 and 15 to review the proposed Shared Accommodation Act, which is set to replace the Boarding House Act 2012. The roundtables were hosted by the NSW Rental Commissioner, Ms Trina Jones. The review of the Boarding House Act was completed by NSW Fair Trading and the Department of Communities and Justice in August 2020. It recommended a new Shared Accommodation Act with a broader scope, covering shared housing such as boarding houses, student accommodation, and backpacker hostels. The NSW Rental Commissioner sought input from sector experts and leaders to help shape protections for people living in shared accommodation across NSW. The 2020 statutory review of the Boarding House Act recommended broadening the scope of the law to cover a wider range of shared accommodation, including boarding houses, student housing, and backpacker hostels, with a focus on tenancy agreements rather than buildings. It also called for strengthened rights and responsibilities, including minimum standards for ‘fit for habitation,’ new fire safety and overcrowding rules, policies for assisted boarding houses, the replacement of the boarding house register with a data feed from ePlanning, and enhanced enforcement powers for NSW Fair Trading, Fire and Rescue NSW, and local councils. The purpose of these roundtables was to gather expert advice and feedback to inform the new law. NNC has been advocating for this reform since 2020 and our hopes are that it will lead to stronger protections for residents and improved living conditions. From these consultations, a new bill is expected to be introduced to Parliament by the end of this financial year.
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