Landlords would be banned from evicting tenants without just cause, under laws proposed by the ACT Greens.
Prospective tenants would also be prevented from outbidding each other for rental properties, under a major change to rental laws.
Three weeks out from the territory election, ACT Greens candidate and housing spokesperson Rebecca Vassarotti said the scales needed to be rebalanced between renters and landlords.
"Almost a third of Australians rent, and many are renting for longer periods of time. But for too long, rental properties have been treated as investments, with the rights of landlords put well ahead of the rights and needs of renters," she said.
"In Canberra, this means sky-high rents to live in often unsustainable and even substandard homes that are freezing in winter, and boiling in summer. The COVID pandemic has only made life tougher for Canberra renters who are already struggling to make ends meet. Now, more than ever, we need a housing system that works for the many, not the few."
The party has pledged to end "no-cause" evictions, by forcing landlords to prove they have a genuine reason for ending the lease.
As it stands, landlords in the ACT are able to throw a tenant out at the end of their lease with notice, or any time if they have a month-to month lease without the landlord having to give a reason.
Consumer group CHOICE said in 2014 Australia was one of the few OECD countries which allowed no cause evictions, although Victoria and Tasmania now require landlords to provide a reason for evictions, such as renovations or selling the house.
Former Greens MLA Caroline Le Couteur accused Labor and the Liberals of blocking her attempts to ban no-cause evictions last year.
The changes would "give renters the right to stay in their houses for years unless the landlord has a genuine reason to terminate a tenancy or use the house for non-rental purposes", the Greens said.
The party also wants to prevent tenants from being able to outbid each other for rental properties, by banning homes from being rented at a higher price than advertised.
It would be enforced by requiring that a copy of the rental advertisement be lodged at the same time as the bond.
There would be exemptions in limited circumstances, such as if the property is rented privately to a friend or via word of mouth.
"Renting a house shouldn't be like buying one at an auction," the Greens said.
Queensland and Victoria have gone down a similar route, although their bans only apply to advertising a price range for a rental property and prevent agents from soliciting higher bids, not accepting them.
The Greens have also promised to double the current funding for ACT Shelter and provide extra money for rental advocacy services. The Tenants' Union was defunded in February, with Legal Aid given extra resources to run a tenants' advice service instead.
