No joke, ACT Labor backbencher Michael Pettersson sees merit in comedian Tom Cashman's landlord references idea

Michael Pettersson will introduce a motion to the Legislative Assembly this week calling on the ACT government to find a way to allow tenants to provide references about their landlords for prospective renters.

The idea was recently floated on TikTok by Sydney-based comedian Tom Cashman, who wanted a reference from a prospective landlord from a previous tenant to convince him it was the right property to move into.

Mr Pettersson said he could immediately see the benefits for Canberra renters after spotting the idea online.

"Landlords know everything about a tenant; they know their income, employment, rental history and personal references. Tenants don't know anything about their landlord and importantly they don't know anything about their treatment of previous tenants. It's unfair," Mr Pettersson said in a statement.

"I'm a renter myself and I would like the ability to provide information to future tenants about my experience with the landlord."

Mr Pettersson said he was calling on the ACT government to make a simple change to address the power imbalance between landlords and tenants.

The motion to be debated by the Legislative Assembly this week would call on the government to review the information imbalance and report back to the Assembly before the end of the sitting year.

Cashman attracted widespread media attention after he asked on January 31 a property manager for a landlord reference. The request was denied and Cashman's approval for the property was dropped.

The ACT government opened community consultation on four proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act in August 2021.

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Along with changes to minimum standards and the no-cause eviction ban, the government will consult about restrictions to rent bidding and tenants' rights to grow food and compost.

The body representing the ACT's real estate agents has slammed proposed rental reforms, saying changes such as the introduction of minimum standards and a ban on no-cause evictions could have damaging consequences.

But the proposed changes have been welcomed by the ACT Council of Social Services, which said no-cause evictions and unfair practices put private renters at risk of exploitation.

Meanwhile, renters have launched a petition to the Legislative Assembly, calling for changes to tenancy laws so landlords are penalised for putting their tenants at reasonable risk of homelessness or disrupting their jobs and education.

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