Who is eligible for help

Some services are available to everyone. Others depend on your circumstances.

We help renters in residential accommodation including:

• Private rentals
• Public and community housing
• Rooming houses
• Caravan parks and part 4A dwellings

If you’re unsure whether we help with your type of accommodation, please contact us.

We try to help as many people as possible, but when demand is high we prioritise assistance for those in the most vulnerable situations.

If we can’t help you at a certain time, we may be able to refer you to an organisation that can.

Anyone can access information and referrals from Tenants Victoria.

You can do this by reading about your issue on our website or by calling our:

• Rental Support Line on (03) 9416 2577 – for all Victorian renters
• Social Housing and Rooming House Priority Line on 1800 068 860 – for renters in public housing, community housing and rooming houses

Our help lines are answered by rental rights officers with specialist knowledge of Victorian rental laws.

Organisations wanting to refer renters to Tenants Victoria can use our support service for community workers.

Our lawyers can provide one-off legal advice in a 30-minute phone appointment. 

All renters experiencing rental stress are eligible for legal advice. When you call the help line, the rental rights officer will assess your situation and book an appointment if necessary. We cannot guarantee you will receive legal advice. 

When demand for this service is high, we prioritise support for people who feel unsafe in their rental situation, are at risk of eviction or homelessness, or have other priority factors.  

Rental stress means you’re having difficulty meeting your rental costs. This may include:

• Spending more than 30% of your income (before tax) on rent
• Getting behind in rent payments
• Being unable to pay bills or debts when they’re due
• Receiving a notice to vacate
• Experiencing, or being at risk of experiencing, family violence

Priority factors are factors Tenants Victoria considers when working out the level of assistance we can offer you. Although we aim to support all renters, our resource limitations require us to prioritise those experiencing especially difficult situations. Priority factors (in no particular order) include:

• You are at risk of homelessness
• Your safety is at risk
• You have a disability
• You are experiencing mental ill health
• You are experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, family violence
• You are from a non-English speaking background
• You are of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent
• You are under 25 years of age or over 55 (over 50 for First Nations people)
• You are a member of the LGBTIQ+ community
• You are a single parent
• You are in custody, prison or a detention centre
• You have difficulty with technology or with reading or writing

Legal casework means one of our lawyers works with you to resolve your issue. This may be by supporting you to handle the matter yourself or acting on your behalf, such as representing you at VCAT or negotiating with your landlord (officially called a rental provider).

Eligibility for this intensive level of support is based on the severity of your legal issue and any priority factors that apply to you, in addition to rental stress.

The first step to see if you’re eligible for this service is to contact us for legal advice.

All Victorian renters are eligible for our financial counselling service.  

You can email us at: financialcounselling@tenantsvic.org.au to book a confidential phone appointment. 

You may also be eligible for more intensive, ongoing financial counselling if you’re experiencing rental stress.  

We offer advice and support to organisations assisting people who rent in Victoria.

Any community worker helping a Victorian renter can book a 30-minute call by completing the community worker tenancy service form.

We cannot assist with problems with:

• Neighbours
• Other renters in your home (unless there is family or personal violence)
• Retirement villages
• Retail or commercial leases

For help with these issues, please contact your local community legal centre or the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria.

If you’re a landlord (officially called a rental provider), a real estate agent, or part of an owners corporation, please note that we do not provide assistance to you. For support, you can contact Consumer Affairs Victoria on 1300 558 181.