Condition reports

Know your rental rights on condition reports. Watch our animated video for a one-minute explainer.

The condition report must:

• Be created using the template form on the Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) website. This is the template for all properties rented out from 29 March 2021
• Be completed and signed by the rental provider or their agent
• Describe the condition of the property, both inside and out, at the time the report was prepared [section 35]

Note that on this page sections in brackets, such as [section 35], refer to sections in Victoria’s Residential Tenancies Act 1997. See Resources at the bottom of this page for links to each section that is noted on this page.

Safety checks

The condition report must include the date of the last:

• Smoke alarm test – required to be done annually
• Electrical safety check – required every 2 years
• Gas safety check – required every 2 years
• Compliance check for a pool barrier, if a pool is on the property

The rental provider must keep records of the electrical and gas safety checks and give you a copy of these records if you request them – your request must be in writing. The rental provider has 7 days to give you these records from the time they receive your written request [section 68B, regulation 30].

Phone and internet                                                                     

The condition report must also state if the property has connections for:

• A telephone line
• An internet line
• The NBN (National Broadband Network), and if so the location of this connection

You have 5 business days from the move-in date in your rental agreement to complete the condition report from your point of view [section 35].

Renters’ comments

If you do not agree with anything in the condition report, use the ‘renters comments’ part of the report to make your own notes about the condition of the property before returning a copy.

It is important to be thorough when completing the condition report as later it may be relied on as evidence of the state of the property at the time you moved in [section 36]. Your own comments in the report can help you if the rental provider later makes a bond or compensation claim against you.

If there is not enough space on the report write ‘see attached’ in the relevant part and attach a separate sheet. Make sure you keep a copy of anything you attach with your copy of the completed report.

Take photos and videos

Photos and videos are helpful in showing the condition of the property. We recommend you take plenty of photos and videos throughout the entire property, both inside and out, when you move in, and again when you move out, so you have evidence of the condition of the property when you arrived and how you left it.

You should take photos and videos both close up and from a distance and make sure you record the date and the room or area where the photo was taken.

You can attach these to your condition report and mark next to your comments in the report which areas you have taken photos of.

Returning the report

After you have completed the report, within 5 business days of the move-in date, you must sign it and return a copy to the rental provider or agent. Make sure you save a copy for yourself and keep it in a safe place in case you need it at the end of your tenancy [section 35].

If you were not given a condition report before you moved in, you can complete one yourself using the template form on Consumer Affairs Victoria’s website [section 35].

You have 5 business days from the move-in date in your rental agreement to complete, sign and give a copy of your condition report to the rental provider, or their agent [Section 35].

Be thorough when completing the condition report, as it may be relied on as evidence of the state of the property at the time you moved in and can help you if the rental provider later makes a bond or compensation claim against you [section 36].

Make sure you save a copy of the condition report for yourself, along with anything you send with it, and keep your copies safe in case you need them at the end of your tenancy.

When completing the condition report, if you find defects or anything that needs to be repaired make sure you write these in the renter’s comments part of the report before returning a copy to the rental provider or agent.

Your returned condition report acts as written notice to the rental provider or agent that repairs are needed. This requirement only applies to rental agreements entered into from 29 March 2021 [section 36].

See our page on Repairs and maintenance for more information on getting repairs done.

If you think the condition report is wrong or incomplete you can apply to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to ask them to amend it – this only applies to rental agreements entered into from 29 March 2021, when new rental laws began. You can do this as well as making your own comments in the renter’s comments part of the condition report [section 35A].

The rental provider can also make this type of application if they think the way you have completed the condition report is wrong or incomplete [section 35A].

At the end of your agreement the rental provider or agent must complete the ‘End of rental agreement condition report’ section in the same condition report you were given before you moved in [section 35].

This must be done within 10 days of the end of your rental agreement. The rental provider or agent must give you a reasonable opportunity to be at the property at the time they inspect it and complete the condition report. You should go to the inspection to make sure the rental provider or agent accurately fills in the condition report [section 35].

For more information about the condition your property should be in when you move out, and about getting your bond back see our pages Ending a tenancy and Bonds.

Repairs and maintenance
Ending a tenancy
Bonds