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 .
The Department of Communities has an important role to play in supporting safe tenancy as WA鈥檚 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 for more information.
