The NSW Greens Sylvia Hale, spokesperson on housing and fair trading, today called for changes to tenancy law to restrict rent increases to once a year and to make it easier for tenants to argue a rent increase is excessive.

"We have over 250,000 households in NSW in housing stress - 183,000 of these are in Sydney. Many of those households are renter households.

With a tightening rental market, they are at the mercy of real estate agents and landlords.

"At the moment, landlords can put up the rent by issuing a 60 day notice of rent increase. There is no legal limit on the amount of the rent increase.

"Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal cases indicate that tenants are fighting weekly rent increases of $40 or more.

"Rent increases should be limited to once every 12 months. This would bring NSW in line with the ACT.

"The onus of proof should be on the landlord to justify a large rent increase.

"The Greens have already recommended these changes in a submission to the review of the Residential Tenancies Act, although the review did not cover rent increases - a serious oversight.

"The Minister for Fair Trading, Diane Beamer, has not indicated that she will even look at the rent increase issue at all," said Ms. Hale.

"If the Government’s review does not address this, The Greens will try to amend the law.

"We need some protection for tenants, because in a period of a very tight rental market coupled with rising housing unaffordability, renters are especially vulnerable. They can’t exit the rental market into home ownership; nor can they afford big rent increases," concluded Ms Hale.

The Greens are preparing a Bill to amend tenancy legislation for introduction in 2007.