The tenant versus the landlord.

Each cry foul over the other, and the only people who win are real estate agents.

Yesterday The Examiner reported some struggling families are being forced to live out of caravan parks because they cannot get a guernsey in the private rental game.

To combat this, soon the state government will offer an extra $1500 bond, of sorts, to private landlords who rent to these identified struggling families.

Recently the Reserve Bank of Australia rubbed salt into the wounds of the great Australia dream, revealing renting could soon be cheaper than buying.

If the past 10 years of real appreciation rates were used as a guide, buying is only cheaper than renting if it's for a long time, such as 30-plus years, the report said.

It would seem that we have arrived at a crossroads.

Each party has a list of gripes about the other - but it's like yin and yang, you can't have one without the other.

From a tenant's perspective, it is frustrating to be tarred with a brush of bad past experiences.

It is common to hear a landlord say, "I'll never rent to anyone under 30".

In Tasmania and Australia, there is no minimum temperature that a house must reach to be rentable, while it is a condition that a home must have a heater.

So you can get provided with a fan heater in an uninsulated historic home and foot a lovely, large power bill.

There are tales of mould infiltrating homes, dodgy wiring and plumbing, rodents galore, insecure doors and windows.

But for every "dodgy" rental house yarn, there's a Today Tonight-style tenants from hell nightmare.

One example told to me was of a home so mistreated by tenants that it cost $30,000 to restore.

A sum like that puts a $1000 power bill in perspective.

It makes you question why you would even bother to rent out your house, the storyteller said.

If landlords cease to exist, so will tenants.

According to the latest Census figures, there are almost 60,000 rented homes in Tasmania.

Where would all the occupants go if landlords were to turn around and say "no more"?

Similarly, where would that leave landlords financially?

Where does it leave the property market?

Before you know it, we'll all be eating out of bins and living in caravan parks.

A gross exaggeration, but it is food for thought.

Now is the time to overhaul tenancy.

For one, each state has its own stipulations regarding renting.

Why not consolidate into something that works for everyone? It will be like uniforming the railway tracks all over again.

Give more power to landlords to name, shame and prosecute tenants who leave a lovingly renovated investment property looking like an abandoned home.

Similarly, give more security to tenants to live in comfortable and humane homes.

Strike a deal that protects both parties, while holding each accountable.

The stubborn barrier between landlords and tenants needs to be broken down.We need each other to thrive and survive.