Family violence is a prevalent and devastating issue affecting the Western Australian community.
WA's Residential Tenancies Act provides a range of practical options and flexibility for tenants who are at risk of, or experiencing family and domestic violence, including:
- the ability to end a tenancy or tenancy interest directly with a landlord or property manager, with appropriate evidence
- the ability to remove a perpetrator from a tenancy agreement and remain in the property by applying to the Court
- the option to apply to the Court to settle financial disputes regarding rent and property damage
- the option to change locks on a rental property without seeking landlord permission to stop a perpetrator accessing the property
- the option to install security measures at the rental property in certain circumstances
- a process to have their name removed from blacklisted tenancy databases if this is due to family violence.
Information and resources for tenants and landlords, including a video in a range of languages, is available on Consumer Protection's Safe Tenancy WA.
The Department of Communities has an important role to play in supporting safe tenancy as WA’s lead agency for family and domestic violence and a housing provider for government employees, public housing tenants and people living in an Aboriginal community.
If you are a tenant in public housing, government employee housing or Aboriginal housing, please contact your regional service provider or your local Communities Housing office for more information.
