Victoria Tenancy Help
If you are renting a home in Victoria or thinking of doing so soon, the information in this guide will help you avoid common renting pitfalls and to have a harmonious (and lawful) relationship with the property owner or agent.
The Tenants Union of Victoria has produced this guide for residential tenants, which is anyone who rents from a private landlord (or real estate agent) or the Office of Housing. It explains the tenants rights under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 and gives advice on how to protect these rights.
It does not cover every aspect of the law and you should contact the Tenants Union if you have a question that isn’t covered here.
Tenants Union Advice Service The Tenants Union of Victoria provides free, confidential advice and a legal service for public and private residential tenants in Victoria. Tenants Union services include:
- telephone/in-person/email advice
- representing tenants at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)
- referrals to other services
This guide is available from Consumer Affairs Victoria at consumer.vic.gov.au or by calling 1300 55 81 81.
Because this publication avoids the use of legal language, information about the law may have been expressed in general statements.
This guide should not be relied upon as a substitute for the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 or professional legal advice.
This guide doesn’t take the place of the Act, nor does it pretend to cover everything; but it will give you a good working knowledge of your rights and responsibilities as a tenant. It is not legal advise.
FAQ Guide for Victoria
- 14-day Vacate Notice landlord's failure with compliance order
- Agreeing on the return of the bond
- Agreeing to end a tenancy early
- Applying to the Tribunal
- Asking for more time to vacate
- Belongings left behind
- Bond Money
- Bonds from the Director of Housing (DoH)
- Breaking your lease
- Calculating minimum notice periods
- Can a landlord claim the bond?
- Challenging a Notice to Vacate
- Change of landlord or tenant
- Communicating with your landlord
- Compensation and compliance
- Complaints about landlords and real estate agents
- Condition Reports
- Damage caused by the tenant or their visitor
- Deposits and charges
- Disputing the claim
- Ending a tenancy agreement
- Ending an agreement before you move in
- Entry to the premises
- Essentials For Tenants
- Eviction
- Final meter readings
- Fixed-term & periodic tenancies
- First month's rent
- Getting Evicted
- Guarantees
- Hardship
- Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG)
- If a landlord or agent does not meet their responsibilities
- If you do not meet your responsibilities
- Landlord compensation claims
- Landlord's reasons for entry
- Looking after the property
- Mould - The Facts
- Moving out
- Notices to Vacate
- Office of Housing
- Other documents & information
- Paying Rent
- Preparing to Leave the Property
- Property not separately metered
- Providing a Forwarding Address
- Reasons and Minimum Notice Periods
- Reasons you can give your landlord for vacating
- Reasons your landlord can ask you to vacate, but not before the tenancy agreement ends
- Rent in Arrears
- Rent in Advance
- Rent Increases
- Rent Receipts
- Repairs
- Repairs - Non-Urgent Repairs
- Repairs - Urgent Repairs
- Rights Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Commission (VEOHRC)
- Rooming House and Caravan Park Tenants Union Service
- Sharing a Property
- Signing your Rental Agreement
- Start of your Tenancy
- Temporary Accommodation while repairs are carried out
- Tenancy Agreements
- Tenancy Databases
- Tenants Union of Victoria (TUV)
- Tenants with Children
- Tenants with Pets
- Useful Contacts
- Utility Other
- Utility Connections
- Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
- Victorian Consumer & Business Centre
- Victorian Phone Numbers
- Water Expenses
- Water Meter Readings
- What to do if you think your rent increase is too high?
- What you can do to solve a tenancy problem?
- When you want to end the tenancy
- When your landlord is selling
- When your landlord wants to end the tenancy?
- Your Privacy
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