The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA) is urging the state government to consider giving rental assistance to those affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
REIWA President Damian Collins said the potential impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on jobs and businesses might put a dent in the budgets of many Australians.
Collins said the federal government's economic assistance and the WA's $607m package will be a big help to the Australians who are affected by the outbreak.
"While these stimulus packages will help keep people in jobs, we urge the state government to consider introducing rental assistance in their next stimulus for those who find themselves out of work," Collins said.
The state government has already declared a state of emergency as the number of diagnosed cases continues to rise.
Aside from the assistance from the state government, Collins said banks and landlord insurers should commit to ensure both tenants and landlords feels safe and secure.
In the same way, Colins also urged landlords to be considerate of their tenants.
"The coronavirus outbreak is a tough time for everyone, and we strongly encourage landlords to be understanding with rental payments during this time of uncertainty," he said. "It is possible that people may start to fear eviction or even homelessness, but we want to stress that there is already legislation in place to stop landlords from evicting tenants during time of hardship."
