The background: domestic violence and the private rental market
At the start of the webinar, Alexandra showed a short video highlighting the prevalence of DV in our communities. In addition, Danielle referenced new research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). “The statistic that came out today (from AIHW), has indicated that one in six women will have experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or former partner. It’s actually quite staggering,” she said.
Alexandra then pointed to the importance of agents understanding the role they play in enabling successful DV survivor tenancies. “When you work with as many people as we do as agents, you are going to run into people who have experienced violence. You’re working with these survivors already, so it’s best practice to have a response to that,” she said.
A positive partnership between agency and shelter
Two years ago, Alexandra and her agency approached Carrie’s Place with a partnership proposal to support DV survivors in their search for appropriate tenancies. The subsequent agreement with Carrie’s Place formalised an active communication cycle with landlords regarding DV survivors as potential tenants. During this time, Alexandra and her agency have been directly involved in establishing more than 20 successful tenancies for DV survivors – almost 10 per cent of the agency’s total current tenancies.
“We work for our owners and everything has to be based around the best outcome for them, but if it can be a win-win situation and we can do something that also helps domestic violence survivors and the community as a whole, then let’s try and foster that relationship,” Alexandra said.
“It means that our landlords are making informed decisions. The relationship traditionally breaks down when something goes wrong, and property managers are not trained very well on how to handle that. Now we are having discussions with the case workers and the tenants; we are establishing parameters and giving our landlords a full understanding of where this person has been and what the relationship is before the tenant moves in.”
Value proposition for landlords
“There is a lovely outcome for the survivor, but there is also a real value proposition for landlords as well,” Danielle said.
Alexandra responded: “It adds value to our relationship with our owners and allows our landlords to give back to their community without costing anything. We have a case at the moment where an individual is actively looking to purchase property and become a landlord, specifically to be part of the program.”
Benefits to the agency
“Something that you do every day for other people looking for tenancies and other landlords, can actually be so much more meaningful for that next tenancy that you establish,” Danielle said.
“It’s added so much more value to our community and to our company. It’s a tangible working relationship,” Alexandra said.
What makes a good property for DV survivors?
“It’s a holistic approach of matching the right property, with the right tenant, with the right landlord to get a successful outcome,” Alexandra said.
Alexandra also outlined the main property criteria to consider for DV survivor tenancies:
- Affordable rent
- Generally, at least a couple of bedrooms for families
- Safe neighbourhood
- Appropriate environment and neighbours
- Access to public transport
- Access to shops and schools.