Minimum standards

Under Victoria’s rental laws, Homes Victoria has a legal duty to make sure that a public housing rental property meets certain basic standards, known as ‘minimum standards’. These standards cover things like ventilation and mould, locks on entry doors and the provision of certain facilities, including bathrooms and heating. The standards apply when a property is advertised for rent as well as during your lease (officially called a rental agreement). There are some exceptions for heritage-listed properties.

The minimum standards apply if you moved into your rental property on or after 29 March 2021. The date you move in becomes the start date of your lease. Renewing a fixed-term lease or changing to a periodic (month-by-month) lease after 29 March 2021 does not ‘restart’ the lease under the law. If you moved into your rental property before 29 March 2021, the minimum standards do not apply.

If your rental home does not meet the minimum standards, there are steps you can take. If you have signed the lease but not yet moved in, you can either immediately end the lease, without penalty, or move in and send Homes Victoria a request for ‘urgent repairs’. If you have already moved in, you should send a request for urgent repairs. If Homes Victoria does not attend to this request quickly enough or properly, you can apply to Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria (RDRV) to resolve the issue.

If Homes Victoria does not tell you before you sign a lease that the property does not meet minimum standards in some way, this is an offence under Victoria’s rental laws. From 25 November 2025, it also an offence for Homes Victoria to advertise or offer a property for rent that does not meet the minimum standards. These offences can be reported to Consumer Affairs Victoria.

If the minimum standards do not apply, because your lease started before 29 March 2021, Homes Victoria still has a legal duty to ensure that the rental property is fit and safe to live in and that any appliances, fittings and furnishings they provide are in good repair.

Public housing is a house, unit or apartment you rent from Homes Victoria, which is part of the Victorian Government’s Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH). Find out more on our page about public housing.

Minimum standards apply to your lease if you moved into your rental property on or after 29 March 2021. Additional minimum standards were introduced on 29 March 2022, 20 March 2023 and 1 December 2025. From 25 November 2025, properties must also meet the minimum standards when they are advertised for rent.

If a property is heritage listed, Homes Victoria may not have to meet some of the minimum standards. Exceptions for heritage-listed properties are set out in the minimum standards below. Heritage listing is one of the things you must be told before you rent a property. Learn more on our page about what you need to know before you sign.

Your home must have a bathroom, and it must:

• Be connected to a reasonable supply of cold and hot water
• Have a washbasin
• Have a shower or a bath

If there is a shower, the shower head must have a 3-star water efficiency rating unless one:

• Cannot be installed, or
• Would not work effectively due to the age, nature or structure of the plumbing

If a 3-star rated shower head cannot be installed, one with a lower star-rating can be installed.

A rubbish bin and a recycling bin must be supplied. These bins must be:

• Provided by the local council, or
• Vermin proof and meet with local council collection standards

From 29 March 2023, all rental properties must have modern switchboards, with circuit breakers and electrical safety switches that comply with Australian safety standards.

Homes Victoria is responsible for getting an electrician to check that their rental property complies with the electrical safety standard.

The main living room of your home must have a fixed heater that is in good working order – that is, not a portable heater.

For leases before 29 March 2023

For leases that started on a date before 29 March 2023, if it is unreasonable to install an energy efficient heater, Homes Victoria must still install a fixed heater in the main living area.

For leases from 29 March 2023

From 29 March 2023, all rental properties must have a fixed heater that is energy efficient in good working order installed in the main living area of the home.

An energy-efficient heater is:

• A non-ducted air conditioner or heat pump with at least a 2-star energy rating
• A gas space heater with at least a 2-star energy rating
• A ducted or hydronic heating with an outlet in the main living area
• A domestic solid-fuel burning appliance, such as a fireplace or wood burning stove

Exception for class 2 buildings

For class 2 buildings, such as an apartment building, the heater does not need to be energy efficient if it is unreasonable to install such a fixed heater.

Visit the Victorian Building and Plumbing Commission website to learn more about class 2 buildings.

Your home must have a dedicated area for cooking and food preparation that has:

• A sink in good working order that is connected to a reasonable supply of hot and cold water
• A cooktop in good working order with 2 or more burners

If there is an oven, it must be in good working order.

Heritage exception

There is an exception for heritage-listed properties where the request for a permit to make the required changes has been refused.

If laundry facilities are present, they must be connected to a reasonable supply of hot and cold water.

Interior rooms, corridors and hallways must have access to sufficient light – natural or artificial – appropriate to the function or use of those rooms.

All habitable rooms must have access to sufficient natural light during daylight hours and sufficient artificial light during non-daylight hours.

Heritage exception

There is an exception for heritage-listed properties where the request for a permit to make the required changes has been refused.

All external entry doors, other than screen doors, that are not able to be secured with a functioning deadlock, must be fitted with a lock that can be operated by a key from the outside.

Exceptions

• Heritage-listed properties where the request for permission to change locks has been refused
• Public lobby doors that open onto common property

Each room in your home must be free from mould and damp caused by, or related to, the building structure. This means as opposed to mould and damp that is caused by the way you use the room, such as not using a ventilation fan or window that is provided in a bathroom when taking a shower.

Your home must be both structurally sound and weatherproof.

Your home must have a toilet, and it must be:

• In good working order
• Connected to an appropriate sewerage or wastewater treatment system
• In a room or separate enclosed structure that is intended to be used as a toilet area, whether separately or as part of the bathroom or laundry

All habitable rooms, bathrooms, shower rooms, toilets and laundries must have ventilation that meets the Building Code of Australia ventilation standards.

You can view these standards on the Australian Buildings Codes Board webpage on ventilation standards.

All external windows capable of opening must:

• Be able to be set in a closed or open position
• Have functioning latches to secure them against external entry

From 29 March 2022, any property must have curtains or blinds fitted to each window in any room that is likely to be used as a bedroom or living area.

The curtain or blind must:

• Be able to be opened and closed
• Reasonably block light
• Provide reasonable privacy

Secured cords on internal window coverings

From 1 December 2025, all corded internal window coverings, such as blinds and curtains, must have secured cords.

This means that:

• There must be an anchor installed to secure cords and prevent them from forming a loose loop
• No part of the cord can extend below 1600 mm above floor level

If your rental property does not meet one or more of the minimum standards, there are steps you can take.

Which steps you take depend on whether:

• You have seen the property but not signed a lease
• You have signed a lease but not moved in
• You have signed a lease and moved in

It against the law for Homes Victoria to advertise or offer a property for rent that does not meet the minimum standards.

If you have concerns after visiting an inspection or seeing a property advertised online, you can report issues to Consumer Affairs Victoria, using an anonymous online form that only takes about 5 minutes to complete.

You can report issues relating to:

• Images or descriptions used to advertise a rental property that may be misleading
• A currently advertised property that does not meet the minimum standards

You can use the online form on the Consumer Affairs Victoria website: Report an issue with an advertised rental property.

If you have signed a lease on a rental property that does not meet minimum standards on or before the day you receive the keys, you can decide whether you still want to move in or not.

Once you have signed a lease and moved into the property, if you notice that one or more of the minimum standards are not met, fixing this issue is considered an urgent repair. This means that Homes Victoria has certain obligations to meet when fixing the problem.

Before you sign
Claiming compensation
Ending or breaking your lease
Public housing
Repairs and maintenance