Victim-survivors of domestic violence (DV) will soon have greater power to leave unsafe homes and protect their privacy under new rental reforms.

And, the move’s been welcomed by Charlestown MP Jodie Harrison.

The Residential Tenancies Amendment (Domestic Violence Reform) Bill 2025, adopted by the NSW Government, is introducing changes to the process for leaving a tenancy due to DV to better support victim-survivors.

The reforms will:

Make it easier for victim-survivors to leave a tenancy by:

• Removing the need for victim-survivors to notify an alleged perpetrator that they have left their shared lease due to domestic abuse
• Expanding the list of approved people who can declare a renter is experiencing domestic violence so they can break a lease without penalty
• The expanded list will help vulnerable groups such as people with a disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people from non-English speaking backgrounds better access protections under the Act

Strengthen privacy and security protections by:

• Allowing locks to be changed without landlord approval if there is a court order or bail or parole conditions that exclude the alleged perpetrator from the property
• Requiring permission from renters for images or videos of the exterior of the property that show their belongings to be published in advertising in order to reduce the risk of victim-survivors being tracked down by perpetrators
• Improve a ban on listing victims on residential tenancy databases by allowing Fair Trading to order a listing be removed if the victim-survivor can provide evidence of domestic abuse
• Make it clear victim-survivors are not liable for property damage caused by a perpetrator by allowing NCAT to decide whether the damage was likely to have been caused during an incident of domestic abuse
• Support victim-survivors to recover their share of the rental bond by giving NCAT the power to break up the bond and ordering partial repayments to a co-tenant

Ms Harrison, the Minister for Women and Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, said no-one should have to choose between their safety and their home.

“These changes make it easier for victim-survivors to leave their rental home quickly and reduce risk of further financial harm,” she explained.

“These reforms are about the NSW Government strengthening protections for those impacted by domestic and family violence, including reducing liability for property damage and supporting them to recover their share of the rental bond.

“We’re continuing to work hard to address these issues in our state.

“So, these amendments ensure victim-survivors have clear, practical pathways to safety.”

The changes follow extensive consultation with more than 400 individuals and 40 organisations, including frontline services, and deliver on recommendations from the statutory review of the domestic violence provisions in the Residential Tenancies Act 2010.

“These reforms are about making common-sense changes so women and families can get out of unsafe situations quickly, without unnecessary red tape,” NSW Premier Chris Minns said.

“We’ve listened to victim-survivors and frontline services.

“The message was clear: the law needed to work better in real-life situations.

“That’s exactly what these changes deliver.”

For more news stories:

• Hamilton father stunned by $1 million windfall
• ‘Unhinged’: 4,500 jobs to be slashed in ANZ restructure
• Council dials into ‘lifesaving’ program to help DV survivors

Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, real estate, entertainment, lifestyle and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.