In NSW, tenants can take direct and immediate action to end their tenancy to escape violence. They can do this without penalty if they or their children are experiencing domestic violence.

The NSW Government introduced changes to the NSW Residential Tenancies Act 2010 in 2019 to allow tenants to end their tenancy this way. Around 33 per cent of people are renting in NSW; we wanted to know how much people know about the domestic violence rental laws and how they are being used.

We asked for feedback to help make sure the laws were still appropriate, or if they needed to be changed to make them work better for those who use or are affected by them.

We received 220 survey responses, 163 quick poll responses and 20 written submissions through this page. This feedback and further consultation with 40 organisations in 2024 and 2025 informed the review's report.

Your feedback helped shape our recommendations

All feedback was carefully analysed in preparing the review report. The review found that the domestic violence provisions have improved protections for victim-survivors, their objectives are valid, and the provisions remain generally appropriate.

Feedback also suggested that adjustments to the provisions could better support tenants who are victim-survivors by:

• making it easier to leave a tenancy

• further reducing risk and liability

• supporting them to access and sustain a new tenancy.

* If the content in this consultation or report raises any issues for you, you can seek further advice and support from the links on the Domestic violence in a rental property page.

This survey has now concluded.

Upload a submission

Submissions for this consultation are now closed.

Submissions closed 5 pm Friday, 2 December 2022

We invite public submissions from anyone interested, including:

• residential tenancy advocacy organisations
• the NSW real estate and property services industry
• industry associations and organisations
• domestic violence support and advocacy groups
• refuge or emergency accommodation organisations
• health practitioners and other professionals known as ‘competent persons’ under the law. This includes registered social workers, approved counsellors and government child welfare officers
• legal practitioners.

If you wish to participate, we will value submissions from victim-survivors of domestic violence who may have used or considered using the domestic violence rental laws. You can request to remain anonymous and you do not have to provide any personal details with your submission.

Submissions will be made publicly available, unless otherwise stated

Please note that submissions are now publicly available, unless the individual or organisation specifically requested that it should not be published. Personal or potentially identifying information has been redacted. Note there may be times where the Government is required to release the information in the responses received, such as under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009.

Submissions for this consultation are now closed.

Submissions closed 5 pm Friday, 2 December 2022

You could have emailed your ideas, suggestions or a written submission to:

dvreview@customerservice.nsw.gov.au

or mailed your submission to:

Residential Tenancies - Domestic Violence Provisions Statutory Review
Policy & Strategy, Better Regulation Division
Department of Customer Service
4 Parramatta Square
12 Darcy Street
Parramatta NSW 2150

This consultation is for NSW Fair Trading, Department of Customer Service.

Have your say consultations are run by the NSW Department of Customer Service (McKell Building, 2-4 Rawson Place, Haymarket NSW 2000).

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