Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal of New South Wales facts for kids

The Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal of New South Wales was a special court in New South Wales, Australia. It helped solve problems between people (consumers) and businesses (traders), or between renters and landlords. This tribunal was created on February 25, 2002. It stopped working on December 31, 2013. Its job was then taken over by a new group called the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).

What NCAT Does Now

The New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) now helps with many small legal problems. In 2017, a court said that NCAT might not be able to help if one person in a dispute lives in a different state. The government is working to fix this rule.

How it Started

The tribunal was set up by a law called the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal Act 2001 (NSW). Before it, there were two other groups: the Fair Trading Tribunal of New South Wales and the Residential Tribunal of New South Wales. People felt these older groups were too slow. So, the new tribunal was created to make solving problems faster and better for everyone.

Who Worked There

The tribunal had a main leader called a Chairperson. There were also Deputy Chairpersons. Other people called Senior Members and Members also worked there. Senior Members handled the more difficult cases. Sometimes, experts called assessors would help. They were specialists in the area of the problem.

How it Was Organized

The Tribunal had eight main sections, called Divisions. Each Division focused on different types of problems:

• General
• Motor Vehicles
• Tenancy
• Home Building
• Commercial
• Strata and Community Schemes
• Residential Parks
• Retirement Villages

Some Divisions had limits on how much money could be claimed. For example, in the General Division, you could claim up to $25,000. In the Home Building Division, it was up to $500,000. Other Divisions had no money limit.

The tribunal had offices in several cities. These included Sydney, Parramatta, Hurstville, Penrith, Liverpool, Newcastle, Wollongong, and Tamworth. You could start your case at any of these offices. The tribunal also held hearings in other country towns when needed.

Different Sections and What They Did

General Division

This section handled problems with everyday goods and services. This included things like faulty products or work that wasn't done right by a business. The most you could claim here was $25,000.

Motor Vehicles Division

This section dealt with problems about new and used cars, motorboats, and repairs. If the vehicle was new and for personal use, there was no limit to the amount of money you could claim.

Tenancy Division

This section helped with issues between renters and landlords. This included problems like breaking a lease, rent going up too much, ending a rental agreement, or getting back a rental deposit. You could claim up to $20,000 for a rental deposit or $10,000 for other issues.

Home Building Division

This section handled problems related to building or renovating homes. These cases were covered by a law called The Home Building Act 1989 (NSW). The tribunal could deal with claims up to $500,000.

Commercial Division

This section looked at problems with credit contracts, like loans. It also dealt with issues about travel agents and their licenses. Another area was disputes over fees charged by real estate agents.

Strata and Community Schemes Division

This section helped solve problems in apartment buildings or shared communities. This included disagreements about rules (by-laws), maintenance fees, or changes to shared areas.

Retirement Villages Division

This section dealt with problems in retirement villages. This could be about the rules of a contract, village rules, or selling/leasing a home in the village.

Residential Parks Division

This section handled problems in residential parks, where people often own their homes but rent the land. Issues could include rental agreements, eviction notices, changes to homes, or rent prices. This Division sometimes had "group hearings" where many people with similar problems would come together. These groups were often helped by advocates from organizations like Tenants Advice Services.

How Cases Were Handled

Usually, people had to present their own cases. They also paid their own costs. This was to make the process quick, easy, and affordable. People usually came in person, but sometimes they could join by phone.

Challenging a Decision

If someone disagreed with a decision, they could ask for the case to be heard again if certain rules were met. They could also appeal the decision to a higher court, the District Court of New South Wales, but only if there was a mistake in how the law was used.