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To learn about your bond when you move in and out of your home, visit our page on bonds.

Use this letter if your landlord (officially called the rental provider) or agent has not lodged your bond with the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA) within 10 days of receiving it, and to let them know you will take further action if they do not comply with the law.

To learn about what you can claim compensation for and the steps for claiming, visit our page on claiming compensation.

Use these examples for claiming compensation from your landlord or agent for a single issue, such as a broken heater.

Use these examples and templates for claiming compensation from your landlord or agent for multiple issues.

Use our claim template to create your own table to record the details of a compensation claim.

Use this example to fill in section 4 ‘reason for notice’ in the ‘notice of breach of duty’ when your landlord or agent breaches the law relating to repairs and quiet enjoyment.

Use this letter if you are listed as a renter on the lease and still living at the rental property and want to seek compensation from your landlord or agent for failure to maintain the property and/or quiet enjoyment.

Use this letter if you were listed as a renter on the lease, have moved out of the rental property and want to seek compensation from your landlord or agent for failure to maintain the property and/or quiet enjoyment.

To learn about the rules a landlord or agent must follow to enter your home, visit our page on privacy while renting.

Use this letter if your landlord or agent has been illegally entering, attending or stopping past your rented property.

To learn about ways to end your lease and steps to minimise costs, visit our page on ending or breaking your lease.

Use this letter to give your landlord notice of intention to break the lease (officially called the rental agreement).

Use this letter to seek immediate termination of the lease from your landlord or agent due to the poor state of the rental property before you move in.

Use this template you are representing or advocating for a renter or occupant who has applied to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) under section 91V of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 to terminate the existing residential lease and create a new one in their name due to being subjected to family violence by another renter listed on the agreement.

Use this template if you are representing or advocating for a renter who has applied to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) under section 91V of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 to terminate the existing residential lease due to being subjected to family violence by another renter listed on the agreement.

To learn about what can and cannot be included in a lease, visit our page on rental agreements (leases).

Use this letter if your landlord or agent has included prohibited or additional terms in your lease.

To learn about what changes or modifications you can make to your rental property with or without the consent of your landlord or agent, visit our page on modifications.

Use this letter to ask for consent from your landlord or agent for modifications to your rental property.

To learn about the ‘notice of breach of duty’ you can give your landlord or agent, visit our page on landlord breaches and other notices.

Use this example to fill in section 4 ‘reason for notice’ of the ‘notice of breach of duty’ when your landlord or agent fails to carry out their duties under the law. This example is for claiming compensation for breaches relating to repairs and quiet enjoyment.

To learn about the stages of eviction and what to do if you get a notice to vacate, visit our page on notices to vacate and eviction.

Use this letter to tell the landlord or agent about a notice to vacate that is not valid under the law.

To learn about what to do if your rent is overdue (this is known as being in ‘rent arrears’), visit our page on overdue rent.

Use this template if you are representing or advocating for a renter whose landlord has applied to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) under section 91ZM of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 for a possession order based on rent arrears. This application can be used to dismiss or postpone the landlord’s application for a possession order, or to assist with a payment plan.

To learn about databases that collect information about renters, visit our page on tenant databases or ‘blacklists’.

Use this letter to object if you have been notified by your landlord or agent that your personal details have been listed on a tenant (renter) database (sometimes known as a ‘blacklist’), and the reason for the listing relates to family or personal violence you experienced.

To learn about rental applications (apps) that some landlords and agents ask you to use to pay your rent or apply for a property, visit our page on rental apps.

Use this letter to challenge a request or requirement by your landlord or agent to use a rental app to pay your rent.

To learn about types of repairs and steps for getting repairs done, visit our page on repairs and maintenance.

Use this letter to ask your landlord or agent to make urgent repairs to meet minimum standards for your rental property.

To learn about applying for a restraining order if your landlord or agent tries to enter your home unlawfully or to illegally evict you, visit our page on restraining orders.

Example of claim details for a VCAT application for an urgent restraining order over threats of illegal eviction by a landlord or agent.

Example extract from a VCAT application form for a restraining order involving unlawful entry by a landlord or agent.

To learn about who is responsible for services to your home, such as electricity, gas, oil, water and sewerage, visit our page on utility charges.

Use this letter to seek reimbursement if you are listed as a renter on the lease, have been paying for utilities that are not separately metered, and want to be reimbursed for what you have paid.

The Case Catalogue – Victorian Tenancy Law Cases summarises key Victorian tenancy law cases heard by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Appeals Tribunal (VCAT) or the Victorian Supreme Court.

The cases in this document consider the interpretation and application of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 in relation to rent increases, rent arrears, and repairs and minimum standards. Tenancy advocates and lawyers need to know about these cases to advise and represent renters.