Rented your home for over 5 years?
If you have rented your home for more than 5 years, we would like to hear from you!
Many Victorian renters have the best legal protections in Australia since rental laws were changed in 2021. But many of these nation-leading reforms don’t apply to Victorian renters who started living in their rental homes before 29 March 2021 – the date the new laws started to roll out.
Depending on their circumstances, such renters might:
- Not get a fixed energy-efficient heater in the main room of their home or other minimum standards under the law
- Not get information from the landlord (officially called the rental provider) about how their rent increases were calculated
- Be subject to terms in their lease that are prohibited for other renters
- Not be entitled to air-conditioning when it is phased in as a minimum standard from 2027
For a periodic lease that started before 19 June 2019, the rent cannot be increased more than once every 6 months. For a periodic lease that started on or after 19 June 2019, the rent cannot be increased more than once every 12 months.
And landlords who have done the wrong thing by these renters are also liable for lower penalties.
We think this is a big problem for renters. Based on bond data, Tenants Victoria estimates that at June 2024, more than 222,000 households – that’s 30% of private rentals – may still not get the protection of these and many other important reforms. There are likely to be many more renters who are not included in this figure.
Tenants Victoria is asking the Victorian Government to change the law, so all renters get these rental protections that were introduced in 2021, regardless of when they moved into their homes or whether they are on a fixed-term lease or a periodic (month-by-month) arrangement.
These laws were passed nearly 8 years ago and started almost 5 years ago. Landlords have had plenty of time to plan for necessary upgrades. It’s time for all Victorian renters to get the same rights.
If you are one of the 222,000-plus households that have been renting your home from before 29 March 2021, we would love to hear your story. Please email Annie Woodger, Policy Lead: story@tenantsvic.org.au