 Hello, welcome to today's residential tenancies authority webinar recording in collaboration with the Queensland reconstruction authority QRA for the get ready Queensland. Queensland is a state that experiences extreme weather conditions and today's recording is here to help you prepare for what may come our way. My name is Lynn Smith and today's recording is going to run for approximately 20 minutes and any time please pause and watch the video at your own pace. Today our guest speaker from QRA will look at the get ready Queensland campaign and what you need to know. We're going to look at the natural disasters and tenancy law. Where to get more information in the lead up to a natural disaster during and also after and look at key reminders for tenants, property owners and managing agents. Please note the RTA cannot provide legal advice and you are encouraged to stick your own independent advice and make informed decisions. The RTA is pleased to be working with the Queensland reconstruction authority and today's guest speaker is Melissa Dixon, stakeholder manager at QRA. So welcome today Mel and thank you for joining us. Great, great to be here. If I hand over to Melissa to run through the get ready Queensland information. So let's have a look at tenancy law for natural disasters. So less general obligation under the residential tenancies and roomy accommodation act outlines that the property is to be in good condition and not in breach of any health and safety laws. And also to for the landlord to maintain the rental property with natural disasters, whether that's flooding storm cyclone or bushfires. If the rental property becomes severely damaged or partly damaged or can no longer be used as a use lawfully as a residence. The tenant or the property manager only can give notice to end the tenancy on the grounds of non livability. Other options may include offering a red reduction. So even if the property is only being partly damaged. So as an example, if during a storm a tree falls on the garage area, the house is still safe to live in, but there's no access to the laundry or the car accommodation. The owner or the manager is in a position to offer a red reduction while this area is under repair. Any temporary rate decreases should be in writing. It should state what the amount is and for what period of time. The act outlines what is an emergency repair and the definition is also found in your general tenancy agreement in the standard terms. So property managers and owners are encouraged to put in emergency contact details for tradespeople on their agreements just in case the tenant needs that contact details after hours. One of the questions commonly asked when it comes to storms and floods, who's going to clean up afterwards? So the RTA always recommends good respectful communication between tenants, owners and managers during these challenging times. The owner is responsible for the property maintenance and repairs to bring it back to a liveable condition and most likely will be coordinating this with their insurance company. The tenant is responsible for the removal and cleaning of their own possessions. So when disaster hits, tenants and property managers and owners should work together towards an action plan. Who's going to do what and when, keep those lines of communication open, help each other out and remember others in the neighbourhood are likely to also be affected and may be in a worse condition. So let's have a look at non-livability. If the premises are unsafe to live in for health and safety reasons or the property cannot be occupied whether wholly or partly, the tenancy can end on the day the notice is given. This means that if it's unsafe for anyone to reside there, the tenant or the property manager owner can give a notice to leave on the grounds of non-livability and the expiry of the notice would be the same day the notice is given. Notice must be given within one month of the event or the disaster and remember health and safety is a priority. You can choose to negotiate a longer notice period if it is safe to do so. The RTA has a great fact sheet available on our website. So just search natural disasters for more information. Now I'm going to hand over to Mel to talk to you about the Get Ready Queensland campaign and what you need to know and what you need in case of a natural disaster. So I guess, Melissa, this is very timely for tenants and property managers and owners given the recent storms in the past week being the end of October. So it is timely for people to know what to do. Look, Get Ready Queensland is about preparing for disaster season and I think when we think about disasters, it really is different timing depending on where you are living. So for those who have a bushfire risk, your risk might be earlier in the year, sort of around the middle of the year and in the winter here in Queensland heading into spring. But if you're living in a cyclone prone area, your highest risk is going to be in the December, January, February months. So Get Ready is about being prepared really all year round. But as we're coming into the summer season, we do amp up our Get Ready preparedness activities. So what's the biggest mistake you see people make when it comes to disaster preparedness? Really it's about being complacent and underestimating risk. So we did some statewide market research this year and it indicated that about 39% of Queenslanders feel they don't really have a disaster risk. We've had a lot of disasters, more than 80 in the last 10 years across the state. So really everyone has a risk and you need to factor that in for your own home but also if you're looking after properties for other people. So in terms of disasters in Queensland, we've got a really diverse landscape and you can go from droughts that can be ended through massive floods. So as I mentioned since 2011, we face more than 70 disasters and really where the most disaster impacted state in Australia. So as Queenslanders, we really have to be savvy is my message. So we've got an awareness campaign that we take out to the community every year and we have three steps to get ready this year because we think these are the three most important things that you can do to prepare yourselves and your loved ones for disasters. And we'll go through those three steps as we go through the presentation. So when it comes to disasters in Queensland, it's really not a matter of if but when. And so most people you talk to will have been impacted by some form of disaster in their lifetime. For many communities that have been hit by multiple disasters one after the other. So really what we're trying to say is you need to be prepared. You need to think about this outside of disaster season because sometimes these disasters happen very quickly and you don't have a lot of time to think or make decisions. So step one is all about that. It's about making a plan. So when you're in a calm and peaceful state of mind, you can think about who would I need to contact? What do I need to take from my home if I need to evacuate? Where would I go if I needed urgently to leave my home and I needed somewhere to stay? Have those conversations in peacetime because I can tell you if you need to evacuate at 3am in the morning, you're not going to be thinking clearly about those things. So do it in advance. Step two is about packing supplies. Now most people have this in hand, but make sure that you have these things in a pack ready to go. They're probably around your house. But like we said, if you need to evacuate quickly, you know, it's difficult. So have them in a place that is central. Make sure you've got plenty of supplies, plenty of batteries, non-perishable food. We say that really 72 hours is the amount of time that you need to be prepared to go without power. So make sure you've got enough supplies for your whole family for at least 72 hours. And checking your insurance. A lot of people don't equate this with disaster preparedness, but the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, our role is to help communities in the rebuild after disasters. So I'm telling you, we see this every disaster. That insurance is really important. Make sure that you have the right amount of cover. Make sure your disaster risk is covered for. It's a really important time to have a chat and with your insurance company and make sure you've got the right level of cover. We do see that people sometimes are underinsured and that can be really catastrophic if your house needs to be rebuilt. So this is what our Get Ready Queensland website looks like. And we have the three steps to get ready. We have forms and checklists for you. You don't need to have all the answers we've thought it through for you to personalize for yourself. And it's not just about getting prepared before disasters, but we also have tips and advice during a disaster and after a disaster. So really, we're a one-stop shop. If you want any information, if you're new to Queensland and you don't know your risk, we are a place to come to to get those resources. And as you said, Mel, I think it's great that, like, particularly you said now, to have enough information and resources to develop the 72 hours that you don't have power. I know myself, my phone would not last for 72 hours in charging. So maybe it's case of making sure that you know someone can access this website and giving you that information if need be. Yeah, and if you don't have people who can help you, you're going to need to have resources written down and that's what your household plan is all about. And packing in your emergency kit, a charged battery charger for your phone because we're so reliant on our phones. And where are you going to get your warnings from? So having a battery operated radio sounds really old school, but I can tell you day three of having no power and you're not getting any news, your radio is going to be your best friend. So one of the things that you mentioned, like, you know, that there are issues in the communities after the disaster and you said that one of the biggest issues is around insurance. Yeah, we do a lot of research to try and understand where we need to help communities and about 80% of Queenslanders say they do have insurance, but there's still 20% who don't and you're really vulnerable when you're not insured. There are different reasons for that. So we've got resources on the website to help you. We would advise to shop around and also there are some resources available if insurance affordability is an issue. So we have all that information on our website as well as tips to take you through what you should be asking your insurer to make sure you've got the policy that meets your needs. So it's also important too to maintain and make sure that your premises or any of those repairs are actually done before storm season as well or natural disaster. Yeah, that's right. If you've got a little bit of damage to your home, that can turn into huge damage after something like a major storm or a slight climb. So you need to make sure that your house is maintained because that can have an impact on insurance claims, but it can also lead to more damage than you would have had. So yeah, maintain your home. It's actually a really important thing. So just a recap on our website. As we said, we've got the three steps to get ready. They're just the key ones. There's plenty more you can do to protect yourself, but that's the basics. The Bureau of Meteorology Weather Alerts, if you haven't subscribed, please do. It's really important in Queensland. Things can happen very quickly here and you can get caught off guard. So make sure you're getting those weather alerts. Emergency service contacts. We all know who to contact, but what we're saying is please help us take pressure off our frontline services in a disaster so they can get to the most vulnerable people. If you can look after yourself, your loved ones, your neighbours, we're going to do much better as a community and really reduce the trauma that comes with some of these major disaster events. Great. Well, thanks, Mel. This is great information for all Queenslanders and I'll just add some more reminders for property owners and tenants and managers to consider as well. So for property owners, just look at your general maintenance of your rental property now. Is there gutters that need to be cleaned out? Any branches that need to be cut back or any other maintenance? And remember to check your house and contents insurance as Mel has said all the way through the presentation and make sure that you have access to those policy details. Make sure you also have those contact details for any tradespeople and if you are self-managing, the tenants contact details as well. And for tenants, with summer brings along those unpredictable stormy afternoons, so make sure that you secure any outdoor furniture or play equipment before you leave home. So if you notice something needs fixing, let your property manager or owner know and make sure that you do also check your own contents insurance policy. If you don't have insurance and Mel has also mentioned their website has information for affordability for insurance side of things, now's the time to consider getting quotes or review what is the best protection for your own property. So I'm talking about your furniture, your possessions, your laptop, all those sort of items. So I'm not here to provide you with insurance advice, but you need to make your own informed decision but it's amazing how much everything does cost to replace when you start adding up what you do own. And just the reminder for managing agents. So whether you're a real estate agent or an onsite manager, a rooming provider or a caravan park manager, besides your overall management duties of the rental property with your land or zine your tenants, do your staff know what to do if there's a natural disaster? While this is separate to the RTA, it's a good reminder for the team at Get Ready Queensland to ensure you have a business plan in place. So just in summary, know your rights responsibilities under Queensland Tenancy Law and remember health and safety is always a priority. Be prepared for a natural disaster whether you're a homeowner or you're renting. And as Mel said earlier, if it's not a matter of if, it's going to be a matter of when Queensland is affected. Download that handy three step Get Ready brochure. It's a great resource and a reminder of what you actually need. And the RTA has a previous webinar recording available on our website that's been done in collaboration with the state emergency services in preparing for storm season. And make sure you have access to the emergency contact details. So again, thank you Melissa for your time today and as the tagline says, Get Ready Queensland. So now's the time to get prepared when the extreme weather events could affect your region, your town, your suburb, your neighborhood or your street. So you can keep connected with the RTA by subscribing to the RTA news on our website and keep up to date with any tenancy topics and also linking with us on the RTA at LinkedIn. The RTA is here to help you and everyone involved in a tenancy, whether you're the tenant, the property owner or the property manager. The RTA's website has a lot of information and resources relating to tenancy and bond information. We encourage you to view this at rta.qld.gov.au The RTA web services for bond matters including lodging, refunds and disputes is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you do need further assistance, please speak to one of our friendly contact centre staff members on 1300-300-6301 available Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm. Again, thank you to the Queensland Reconstruction Authority and the Get Ready Queensland campaign for the collaboration with this recording and thank you for your time today.