For years, frontline services have been calling for change to help family violence victims with rental records tarnished by ruinous perpetrators.

They have welcomed a focus on family violence as part of a review of the Residential Tenancies Act, which lays out the laws for renting properties in Victoria. 

The state government has appealed to the public for feedback on proposed changes, which include giving victims of family violence the right to challenge eviction notices issued because of a perpetrator’s conduct.

“We’ve been calling for that for many, many years,” Annie North Women’s Refuge and Domestic Violence Service chief executive officer Julie Oberin said. 

She said women could find themselves blacklisted or burdened with a poor rental record because of their partner’s conduct, which could include physical damage to the property.

Victoria’s peak body for family violence services, Domestic Violence Victoria, was supportive of the proposed reforms.

“We know that many woman can be unfairly disadvantaged by damage that is caused to rental property by violent perpetrators. This is of particular concern when a rental lease is in a woman’s name,” chief executive officer Fiona McCormack said. 

“We hope that in time we see a reduction in family violence-related homelessness through measures such as this change to the RTA”.

But a whole-of-system approach was needed to improve the supports available to women to safely stay in their homes. 

“Victoria’s Royal Commission into Family Violence made sensible recommendations that, when fully implemented, will make a significant difference to the lives of women and children affected by family violence,” Ms McCormack said.

The proposed change to the Residential Tenancies Act is consistent with the Commission’s recommendations.

Much has changed, or is in the process of changing, as a result of the 227 recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Family Violence. 

The Centre for Non-Violence was among central Victorian services welcoming of a proposal to help victims of family violence stay in their homes with changes to Victoria’s property renting laws. 

However, chief executive officer Margaret Augerinos said there was more to tackling family violence-related homelessness than reviewing the Residential Tenancies Act. 

“We need to make sure we’re looking at this holistically,” she said.

“You can provide housing, but if the other protections aren’t there, there’s a problem.”

Women still needed to be believed, supported and protected to seek help.

“Many women are reluctant to report what’s going on,” Ms Augerinos said.

She said there was an urgent need for government to invest in affordable housing and crisis and transitional accommodation.

“There’s just not enough,” she said.

But, ultimately, she said the attitudes driving and enabling violence against women and children needed to change.

Though Annie North chief executive officer Julie Oberin said the system framework and responses were improving, victims had yet to fully trust in measures intended to ensure their safety, often preferring to seek refuge than to remain at an address known to their abusers.

Challenging notices to vacate is among a range of options related to family violence in a 234-page options discussion paper formed as part of the state government’s Fairer Safer Housing review.

Acting Minister for Consumer Affairs Lily D’Ambrosio urged renters and landlords to have their say on issues affecting them in their homes, or with their investments.

Submissions close on February 10.

Victoria Legal Aid, The Salvation Army, Victorian Council of Social Service and Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service were among a number of organisations that raised family violence in their submissions.

Other options included in the Fairer Safer Housing banning unreasonable ‘no pets’ clauses in tenancy agreements and requiring notices to vacate to be accompanied by supporting evidence.