The ACT Is Trying To Make Landlord References Legal, So Every Canberran Owes Tom Cashman A Beer

Every renter in Canberra owes comedian Tom Cashman their gratitude because a new motion being introduced in the ACT Legislative Assembly could soon see prospective renters be able to ask for landlord references.

For those unfamiliar, Cashman — a comedian based in Sydney — went viral on TikTok last month after asking his real estate agent for a “landlord reference” after being approved for a property.

While this may not seem like that big of a request, considering landlords ask renters for at least two references, thousands of dollars worth of upfront payments and various other documents to prove you can pay your way and deserve to pay their mortgage for them. But, as Cashman quickly found out, the landlord wasn’t too keen on giving a reference and immediately retracted the offer to let him rent the property.

Following his now-viral TikTok videos, thousands echoed their support for Cashman — including Tenants Victoria and the head of the Real Estate Institute of Australia, who noted that the request wasn’t unreasonable.

But now it looks like Cashman’s request could actually result in a change in legislation, with ACT Labor MLA Michael Pettersson now attempting to pass the motion.

“I’m a renter myself and I would like the ability to provide information to future tenants about my experience with the landlord,” Pettersson told the ABC. “I saw the idea suggested by comedian Tom Cashman on TikTok and I could immediately see the benefits for Canberra renters.”

“About a month ago [Cashman], tongue-in-cheek, actually asked his prospective landlord for a reference and, of course, his application was then denied.

“But it’s spawned the idea and has been talked about right across Australia.”

If the law is passed, landlords would not need to provide references by default, but would be required to provide one if requested by a potential tenant. The benefit of the legislation — if passed — would be giving prospective tenants more dignity and control when renting, which would be a game changer for anyone who has ever rented a poorly maintained property before.

“The motion also calls for the ACT government to reaffirm its ongoing commitments to protecting the rights of renters in the territory,” said Pettersson. “[It] calls for the government to investigate how we could implement this and will report back before the end of the year.

“I’m confident that the government will be able to find a way to implement a rental reference system of some sort — what that looks like right now, it’s a bit early to say.”

The motion will be debated in Canberra this week.