New South Wales joins VIC, ACT in banning no-grounds evictions

Areas with high percentages of renters, such as the North Sydney LGA, will be particularly impacted by the reforms.

Huw Bradshaw
May 19, 2025

As of today, May 19, no-grounds evictions have been banned in NSW.

Along with this significant reform to NSW landlord-tenant law, tenants who own pets — or want to — will also enjoy stronger protections.

North Sydney Council proposes Cycling Super Highways along Pacific Highway, Military Road

The plans, aimed to be completed by 2045, seeks to quadruple the number of cyclists in the area.

Though the North Shore may typically be associated with mortgages and property owners, areas within the region, such as the North Sydney and Lane Cove LGAs, have some of the highest percentages of renters in the state. In the 2021 census, the North Sydney LGA had the second highest proportion of renters in the state at 51 percent, second only to the Sydney LGA at 61 percent.

No-grounds or no-fault evictions are a practice in which a landlord can evict a tenant during an ongoing lease or at the end of a lease without having to give any reason. Tenant advocacy groups such as the Tenants Union of NSW have pushed against the practice for decades, arguing that it skews the balance of power in the favour of landlords, leaving tenants hesitant to assert their rights.

McDonald's is trying to get a foothold in Crows Nest

The fast food chain has submitted plans to North Sydney Council.

In a media release, Homelessness NSW welcomed the changes as a “positive step towards ending the housing and homelessness crisis.”

“Eviction from private rentals is one of the main causes of homelessness,” said CEO Dominique Rowe. “Ending unfair no-grounds evictions will help to keep people in housing and reduce pressure on our overwhelmed homelessness services.”

The reforms are part of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill 2024, which was passed in NSW Parliament last October.

Photo by Allan Vega on Unsplash