Mould Clinic

For eligible renters with mould problems in their rented properties, Tenants Victoria’s Mould Clinic offers support for negotiating with rental providers (landlords) and real estate agents, and for taking a mould issue to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

Our main aim is to assist renters to get their mould repaired properly. However, we may also assist with seeking compensation for damage caused by mould.

The Mould Clinic is not for you if you do not need help to negotiate with the rental provider or agent to get the issue fixed, nor to take the issue to VCAT.

If you do not need this type of help, but instead want to talk about your mould issue with one of our phone advisors, please contact us through one of our general advice services:

• Email us via our Contact us page
• Phone our renter support line, 9:30am–1:30pm from Monday to Friday, on 9416 2577 (select option 3)
• If you are a renter in social housing, phone the social housing advice line, 9am–4pm from Monday to Friday, on 1800 068 860

To be eligible for assistance, you must meet certain criteria.

Income

Firstly, you must be receiving a Centrelink payment or earning no more than $1000 a week, after tax, if you are single. For couples, your combined income must be no more than $1600 a week, after tax.

Vulnerability

As well as meeting the financial requirement, you must also be experiencing one or more of the following vulnerability criteria:

• Disability
• Need help with reading and writing
• Mental illness
• Acquired brain injury
• English is not your first language
• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• Family violence
• Youth
• Older person

Cause of mould

You must also have a mould issue in your rental home that can be shown to be caused by, or related to, the building structure – but this is something we can assess and advise you on.

If you meet the eligibility criteria and need help with negotiating with your rental provider or agent, and/or help with taking the issue to VCAT, our Mould Clinic may be able to assist.

Speak to our Mould Clinic intake team by calling our general renter support line, 9:30am–11:30am from Monday to Friday, on 9416 2577. Select option 3 for renter support, then option 5 for the Mould Clinic. Note that the Mould Clinic option does not have a voicemail service.

The Mould Clinic intake team are not lawyers and therefore cannot provide immediate legal advice to you over the phone.

A member of the Mould Clinic intake team will ask a series of questions about you, and about your mould issue. This should take about 15 minutes. More complex cases can take 30 minutes.

We will then ask you to email relevant documents that help prove your case to the clinic.

If you are eligible for assistance, and there is sufficient evidence to prove your case, we will book an appointment for you with one of the clinic lawyers.

At that appointment the lawyer will provide detailed advice and tell you how we can assist further. This may be either by supporting you to take action yourself – for example, by drafting documents – or by acting as your lawyer in the matter.

Our legal assistance is free of charge. If there are any fees or costs – such as expert report fees, or VCAT application fees – we will tell you about these. Then you can decide whether to take the next step.

We encourage requests for assistance where you believe your agent has engaged in misconduct. Agent misconduct is an issue that Tenants Victoria aims to address when it occurs and report to Consumer Affairs Victoria.

If misconduct has occurred regarding your problem with mould, we can complain to Consumer Affairs Victoria on your behalf.

As we are a legal service, we will treat your information confidentially and in line with our privacy policy.

If you do not meet the criteria for our Mould Clinic, but would like assistance with your mould issue, or another renting legal matter, please contact our advice line via our Contact us page.

Repairs and maintenance
Minimum standards