00:00Beth and Kaitlyn have been asking their landlord to fix a mould infestation for years.
00:13Every single rental inspection we mention it, so that's a few times every year for
00:1815 years.
00:19The sisters live with their mother Penny, who has a respiratory illness and requires
00:23round-the-clock care since having a stroke several years ago.
00:26We think the mould is having effects on everyone who lives here in essence, our mum has chronic
00:32lung disease, so breathing is already an issue for her and the house is full of mould.
00:39They took their case to NCAT, the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal, but
00:44it was dismissed because the landlord lives interstate and the tribunal has no power to
00:49compel them to appear.
00:51Disputes that can't be resolved at NCAT are referred to the local or district court.
00:56However, unlike the tribunal, where parties represent themselves, going to court can be
01:00both time-consuming and costly.
01:03If you're trying to get your repairs done, if you're trying to get your bond back, having
01:07these matters heard in a timely way is really important.
01:11So it is really frustrating and in some cases even dangerous to let these cases run for
01:18too long.
01:19Spokesperson for Attorney General Michael Daly didn't say if the government has a plan
01:22to resolve the loophole, while renters such as Beth and Caitlin are perplexed it hasn't
01:27been resolved already.
01:29After their case was dismissed by the tribunal, the sisters were issued a no-grounds eviction
01:33notice.
01:34In essence, we could be homeless, with someone in a wheelchair who needs 24-7 care and specialised
01:40equipment.
01:41So the thought of it is terrifying.
01:44Exchanging one housing crisis for another.
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