lsn't it interesting that the thread is started by a poster that isn't from Victoria ? Obviously there's nothing going on in AbsolutelyPathetic's home state.
That said , Victoria has managed it poorly in my view.
Compulsory regular checks for electrical safety and the stamp duty increase all came around the same time . So plenty of people took a fair old hit to the wallet in one go.
Lots of older houses need upgrades such as things like safety switches as a result of these checks . lt might also mean a switchboard replacement and some wiring replacement as well . At the same time some old gas appliances might fail tests and have to be replaced . All these properties could have been functioning perfectly well and been compliant prior to the rule changes . They probably should have given more time for the changes to be made so that landlords can budget for it over a couple of years . There are a lot of landlords that are mum and dad investors that aren't that wealthy . Of course there are plenty of tight arse landlords as well that want everything for nothing.
l can report from personal experience that some trades were/are gaming the system which increased costs for people that weren't aware that they were being taken for a ride . E.g. including work that technically doesn't need to be done and isn't made clear in the quote .
Then there's the stamp duty hike. lnstead of doing it over a few years , they did it in one go. lt was a considerable jump .
lts funny how we'll have posters bang on about Victoria's debt, but when the government raises taxes to help service that debt the same posters complain about that as well.
The Victorian government could've done a much better job of this as the rising costs will feed into property prices and will ultimately lead to less rentals rather than more thus making things worse in my opinion .
You would think that this would be an ideal opportunity for an opposition to come up with some decent policy difference on this . Sadly we've heard nothing from them .
