The state of New South Wales in Australia has approved new laws that allow women to immediately terminate their rental leases upon showing the landlord evidence of domestic violence, either through an order for protection or a separate court order. According to experts, abusive relationships often become most dangerous when a woman is trying to leave a violent partner. Thus, requiring survivors to give a landlord several days or weeks notice before terminating a lease can make her situation worse. The new laws will also prevent landlords from blacklisting victims or holding victims responsible for debts owed, or damages caused by, domestic violence perpetrators.
Compiled from: Cormack, Lucy, Domestic Violence Victims Given the Power to Terminate Rental Contracts Early, The Sydney Morning Herald (July 5, 2016).