Sydney is in the middle of a rental crisis and Fair Trading officers will be targeting ‘dodgy’ real estate agents trying to cash in this weekend.

Chris O’Keefe said with a 1 per cent vacancy rate the squeeze on rentals in Sydney is significant.

“Renters, in some cases, are being charged double what they were paying 12 months ago and in some cases it is the real estate agents that are soliciting the higher rents out of people, which is illegal,” Chris said.

NSW Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello this has been illegal since 17 Septemeber 17 last year as part of more regulations introduced around real estate agents.

He said the reform package announced by the Premier today would offer more protections for renters including extending notice periods out to 45 days.

See more highlights from Chris O’Keefe below: