Brimbank Melton Community Legal Centre will hold a training clinic next month for community workers and lawyers dealing with tenancy complaints.
“Too often, tenants come off second- best in disputes with landlords and agents, even though in many cases the law is on their side,” Community West manager Simon Roberts said.
“Better knowledge and referral pathways can help even up the contest.
“You’ll know what to do when that client has a rental housing issue and be empowered to directly help them achieve a positive outcome.”
The training clinic will be at Sunshine Visy Hub from 9.30am-4.30pm on November 11, covering the basics of housing and rental law, navigating ‘legalese’, legal responsibilities of tenants and landlords, and finding the right referral pathways. It will also cover compliance, compensation, rent increases and eviction.
Tenants Union policy officer James Bennett said repairs and dodgy bond claims were the most common issues Brimbank tenants face.
“Unfortunately, we get a lot of questions from people who have been hit by untrue bond claims, or situations where the landlord or agent takes far too long to give their bond back.”
Register by November 4 by phoning 8312 2010 or email legal@communitywest.org.au.
