Victorian rental law changes 2026: What property managers need to know

Victoria’s rental rule changes are now largely in force. The latest group of obligations commenced on 13 October 2026, and new minimum energy efficiency standards begin phasing in from 1 March 2027. For property managers and agency principals, the task has moved from knowing the law has changed to proving that office processes, applications, advertising, compliance records, safety checks and bond procedures have changed with it.

The reforms have been introduced in stages since November 2025. This guide sets out every change by date, what each one means inside an agency, and what is still to come.

What changed on 13 October 2026

Consumer Affairs Victoria confirmed the following requirements took effect on 13 October 2026.

Bond claims now need evidence before money is claimed

Before making a bond claim at the end of a rental agreement, rental providers and agents must notify the renter in advance and give them evidence supporting the claim. Consumer Affairs Victoria lists invoices, receipts, quotes and photos as examples of supporting evidence.

Condition reports, inspection photographs, repair records and correspondence are now central to any claim. If that material is scattered across inboxes, phones and individual staff accounts, the claim becomes harder to support.

Records proving minimum standards compliance

Rental providers and agents must keep records showing a property met Victoria’s rental minimum standards before it was advertised, offered for rent or occupied, and must produce those records to Consumer Affairs Victoria on request.

The question for an agency is no longer only whether a property was compliant. It is whether the agency can prove it was compliant at the relevant time. Agencies should settle how that evidence is stored against each property, who uploads it, how long it is kept and whether it stays accessible when staff change.

Agents and rental providers can no longer charge application or rent payment fees

Third-party platforms have been banned from charging renters application and rent payment fees since 31 March 2026. From 13 October 2026, the ban extends to rental providers and agents themselves. Agencies can still use third-party platforms, but should confirm how their provider handles the rules rather than assume the software is compliant.

Gas and electrical safety checks every two years for all rentals

A qualified tradesperson must carry out gas and electrical safety checks every two years in all rental properties, including agreements that began before 13 October 2026. Gas checks are required only where the property has gas appliances, fixtures or fittings. If no check has been done in the two years before a renter moves in, the rental provider must arrange one as soon as possible.

Before any draughtproofing work, a licensed or registered gasfitter must complete a gas safety check, where gas is present, within six months before the work begins.

For agencies managing large portfolios, the immediate job is identifying which properties are overdue.

Changes already in force before October

No-fault evictions banned (25 November 2025)

Rental providers can no longer issue a notice to vacate without a valid reason simply because a fixed-term agreement has ended. A fixed term generally becomes periodic unless the parties sign a new fixed term or a valid ground exists. Existing valid reasons, including certain sales, renovations and breaches, remain available. End-of-lease workflows should not assume a renter can be asked to leave when the fixed term expires.

90 days’ notice for rent increases (25 November 2025)

The minimum notice period for a rent increase moved from 60 days to 90 days. The 90-day period also applies to certain notices to vacate, although shorter periods still apply where the renter is at fault. Rent-review reminders, notice templates, CRM workflows and outsourced administration should all reflect 90 days.

All rental bidding banned (25 November 2025)

Agents and rental providers cannot accept an offer to pay more than the advertised rent, or more than one month’s rent in advance. A prospective renter offering more does not mean the agency can accept it.

Minimum standards must be met when a property is advertised (25 November 2025)

Rental providers and agents must ensure a property meets the minimum standards when it is advertised or offered for rent, not only before the renter moves in. Advertising a non-compliant property is an offence. The standards cover bathrooms, electrical safety, heating, locks, lighting, mould and damp, structural soundness, toilets, ventilation, windows and window coverings.

In practice, the compliance check now has to happen before photography, advertising and open homes, not after applications arrive.

Smoke alarms and renters’ personal information (25 November 2025)

Annual smoke alarm checks apply to all rental agreements, whatever their start date. New rules also govern how renters’ personal information is destroyed or de-identified, and disclosing it without consent is an offence.

Blind and curtain cords (1 December 2025)

Cords on internal blinds and curtains in all rental properties must be secured so they cannot form dangerous loops.

Standard rental application form (31 March 2026)

Rental providers and agents must use the prescribed rental application form. Information requested from applicants is limited to what is needed to assess suitability, confirm identity and confirm capacity to pay the advertised rent. Agencies should know what their application software collects, not only what their own staff ask for.

Portable rental bonds (1 July 2026)

Eligible renters can transfer an existing bond to a new rental through the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority rather than fund a new bond while waiting for the old one to be returned. The scheme is optional for renters. A former rental provider can still make a legitimate claim against the transferred bond.

Renters can pay bond directly to the RTBA (9 September 2026)

A renter can give written notice that they want to pay their bond directly to the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority, and the rental provider must select that option when starting the lodgement. From 1 June 2027, refusing a renter who wants to pay this way becomes an offence.

What is still to come

Minimum energy efficiency standards from 1 March 2027

New standards apply when a rental agreement starts, is renewed or becomes periodic on or after each start date. Agreements that were already periodic before a standard’s start date are not caught by it.

• 1 March 2027: ceiling insulation to R5.0 where none exists, 4-star showerheads and efficient cooling in the main living area, triggered by a new lease, renewal or conversion to periodic.

• 1 March 2027: when a heating or hot water system reaches end of life, it must be replaced with an efficient electric system such as a heat pump hot water system or reverse cycle air conditioner.

• 1 July 2027: draughtproofing of external doors, windows and wall vents, on the same lease triggers. It does not apply where open-flued or flueless gas appliances are present.

• 1 July 2030: efficient cooling in the main living area of all rental homes, whether or not a new lease has been signed.

Some apartments with shared ceiling space, and homes with centralised heating or hot water, may be exempt. Identifying affected properties now is considerably easier than managing upgrades once leases start rolling over.

Further changes from 1 June 2027

• A cap on lease break fees.

• Rules on keys and fobs: extra keys or fobs cannot be unreasonably refused, a reasonable fee may apply, and deactivating a key or fob is an offence unless permitted.

• Rental providers must not refuse to let a property because of family or personal violence.

Enforcement is under way

Victoria’s rental taskforce, now permanent, has issued more than $900,000 in fines to landlords and agents, according to the state government. Consumer Affairs Victoria has said providers, agents and rooming house operators who do not comply with the October changes may face warnings, fines, or court or other enforcement action. Rental compliance is also on Consumer Affairs Victoria’s published priorities for 2026-27, alongside underquoting.

What Victorian property managers should be doing now

1. Audit the portfolio

Identify which properties are due or overdue for gas safety checks, electrical safety checks, smoke alarm checks and minimum standards work, and which will be caught by the 2027 energy efficiency standards at their next lease event.

2. Move the compliance check ahead of advertising

The workflow should run: compliance check, property ready, advertising, applications, tenancy. Not advertising first and compliance after.

3. Build the evidence file

For every property, keep the records that prove minimum standards compliance at the time of advertising, and the condition reports, photos, invoices and quotes that will support any bond claim.

4. Check the application and payment setup

Confirm the prescribed application form is in use, what information applicants are asked for, what third-party systems collect, and that no application or rent payment fee is being charged to renters.

5. Update templates and automation

Rent review reminders and notices should reflect the 90-day period, and end-of-lease workflows should reflect the ban on no-fault evictions.

Key dates for Victorian agencies

• 25 November 2025: no-fault eviction ban, 90-day rent increase notice, rental bidding ban, minimum standards at advertising, annual smoke alarm checks, renter information rules.

• 1 December 2025: blind and curtain cord safety.

• 31 March 2026: prescribed application form, limits on applicant information, third-party fee ban.

• 1 July 2026: Portable Rental Bond Scheme.

• 9 September 2026: renters can pay bond directly to the RTBA.

• 13 October 2026: evidence-based bond claims, minimum standards records, fee ban extended to providers and agents, two-yearly gas and electrical checks for all rentals, gas check before draughtproofing.

• 1 March 2027: first energy efficiency standards.

• 1 June 2027: lease break fee cap, key and fob rules, family violence protections, direct bond payment refusal becomes an offence.

• 1 July 2027: draughtproofing standard.

• 1 July 2030: efficient cooling in all rental homes.

Real Estate Today will keep updating this guide as further requirements commence. Victoria also goes to an election on 28 November 2026, and any rental policy changes from the next government will be added here.

Last updated: 24 October 2026

This guide is general industry information, not legal advice. Property managers, rental providers and agencies should refer to Consumer Affairs Victoria and the legislation that applies to their circumstances.