What Are All of Victoria’s New Rental Rules for 2026 and 2027?

Victoria’s rental reforms are rolling out in stages across 2025, 2026 and 2027. Since 25 November 2025, no-fault evictions and rental bidding have been banned, most rent increases require 90 days’ notice, rental properties must meet minimum standards before they are advertised, annual smoke alarm checks apply across all rental agreements, and stronger renter privacy rules are in force. A new blind-cord safety standard followed on 1 December 2025.

Since 31 March 2026, rental providers and agents have had to use Victoria’s prescribed rental application form, limits apply to the information applicants can be asked for, and third-party application and rent-payment platforms cannot charge renters application or payment fees. Since 1 July 2026, eligible renters have also been able to transfer an existing bond to their next property through Victoria’s Portable Rental Bond Scheme for a $25 application fee.

The next major date is 13 October 2026, when stronger bond-claim requirements, minimum-standard record keeping and two-yearly gas and electrical safety checks will expand across all residential rental agreements. From 1 March 2027, new energy-efficiency requirements begin phasing in for heating, hot water, cooling, showerheads and ceiling insulation, followed by draughtproofing requirements from 1 July 2027.

Rental Rules Already in Effect Since 25 November 2025

No-Fault Evictions Are Banned

A Victorian rental provider can no longer issue a notice to vacate simply because a fixed-term rental agreement has reached its end.

If there is no valid legal reason to end the tenancy, the agreement generally becomes a periodic, month-to-month agreement once the fixed term expires. Valid grounds for ending a tenancy still exist, including certain circumstances involving sale, renovation or breaches of the rental agreement.

Rent Increases Generally Need 90 Days’ Notice

The minimum notice period for a rent increase increased from 60 days to 90 days on 25 November 2025. The 90-day period also applies to certain notices to vacate, although shorter periods can still apply in some circumstances, particularly where the renter is at fault.

The rule limiting most Victorian rent increases to once every 12 months was already in place before this latest reform package, so the major 2025 change was the longer notice period rather than the introduction of the annual limit itself.

Rental Bidding Is Banned

Victoria has strengthened its ban on rental bidding.

Rental providers and agents cannot accept an offer from an applicant to pay more than the advertised rent or accept an offer to pay more than one month’s rent in advance. This builds on earlier rules that already prohibited rental providers from soliciting or encouraging offers above the advertised amount.

Properties Must Meet Minimum Standards Before Advertising

Since 25 November 2025, a rental property must meet Victoria’s rental minimum standards when it is advertised or offered for rent, rather than only by the time a renter moves in.

Victoria currently has minimum standards covering a range of matters including locks, bathrooms, kitchens, heating, structural safety, mould and damp, electrical safety and window coverings.

Annual Smoke Alarm Checks Apply to All Rental Agreements

Rental providers and agents must arrange a smoke alarm safety check every 12 months, regardless of whether the rental agreement began before, on or after 29 March 2021.

Stronger Privacy Rules Apply to Renter Information

Rental providers and agents also have stronger obligations concerning applicants’ and renters’ personal information.

The rules cover how rental application information is protected, retained, destroyed or de-identified, and disclosure without consent can be an offence.

New Minimum Standards From 1 December 2025

Blind Cords Must Be Secured

Since 1 December 2025, all Victorian rental properties must have cords on internal window coverings secured so they cannot form dangerous loops.

This is now part of Victoria’s rental minimum standards.

A separate rule also introduced a fixed-heating minimum standard for rooming houses from the same date.

Rental Application Rules From 31 March 2026

A Standard Rental Application Form Is Mandatory

Since 31 March 2026, Victorian rental providers and agents have been required to use the prescribed residential rental application form.

They cannot simply design an application process that asks for whatever information they choose.

There Are Limits on What Applicants Can Be Asked

Rental providers and agents can only request information permitted under the new application rules.

The information must be relevant to assessing an applicant’s suitability, verifying their identity and establishing their capacity to pay the advertised rent.

Third-Party Application and Rent-Payment Fees Are Banned

Third-party rental application and rent-payment businesses cannot charge renters fees for applying for a property or paying their rent.

Agents and rental providers may continue to use third-party platforms, but the platform operator cannot pass those application or payment fees on to the renter.

A further change from 13 October 2026 will make it an offence for rental providers and agents themselves to charge a renter a fee for making a rental application.

Rent Increase Assessments Now Consider More Factors

Changes introduced on 31 March 2026 also expanded the factors that can be considered when deciding whether a proposed rent increase is excessive.

These include comparable local rents, the size and timing of previous increases, Melbourne CPI, the condition and features of the property and relevant valuations. Renters who believe an increase is above market can request a free rent assessment from Consumer Affairs Victoria.

Portable Rental Bonds From 1 July 2026

Victoria’s Portable Rental Bond Scheme began on 1 July 2026.

Eligible renters can transfer the value of an existing Residential Tenancies Bond Authority bond to their next rental property rather than paying an entirely new bond while waiting for the previous one to be returned.

The scheme is optional and costs $25 to use. If the bond on the new property is higher than the existing bond, the renter must pay the difference.

Using a portable bond does not remove a previous rental provider’s right to make a legitimate claim against the old bond, and the ordinary bond-dispute process still applies.

New Bond and Safety Rules From 13 October 2026

Several further Victorian rental law changes are scheduled to take effect on 13 October 2026.

Bond Claims Will Need Advance Notice and Evidence

Rental providers who intend to make a claim against a renter’s bond at the end of the tenancy will have to notify the renter in advance and provide evidence supporting the claim.

Rental Providers Must Keep Minimum-Standards Records

Rental providers will also have to retain sufficient records showing that a property complied with Victoria’s rental minimum standards when it was advertised or offered for rent.

That means compliance will increasingly need to be documented rather than simply assumed.

Two-Yearly Gas and Electrical Checks Will Apply to All Rental Agreements

From 13 October 2026, rental providers and agents must arrange gas and electrical safety checks by qualified tradespeople every two years for all relevant rental properties, including agreements that began before the newer safety-check rules were introduced.

Earlier rules already required two-yearly checks for many agreements entered into after 29 March 2021. The October 2026 reform closes that gap by extending the requirement across rental agreements regardless of when they commenced.

A Gas Check Will Be Required Before Draughtproofing

From 13 October 2026, a licensed or registered gasfitter will need to check a rental property for ventilation-related gas safety issues within the six months before draughtproofing work is carried out.

This becomes particularly relevant as Victoria’s new draughtproofing minimum standard begins in 2027.

Victoria’s New Rental Energy-Efficiency Standards From 2027

Victoria’s next major rental reform phase starts on 1 March 2027.

Unlike a single blanket deadline, the new rental energy-efficiency standards have different triggers depending on the upgrade involved.

Heating and Hot Water From 1 March 2027

From 1 March 2027, when certain existing heating or hot-water appliances reach the end of their life and cannot be repaired, replacement systems must meet the new efficiency and electrification requirements.

For affected properties, this generally means efficient electric reverse-cycle air conditioning for heating and heat-pump technology for hot water, subject to the regulations and available exemptions.

Cooling From 1 March 2027

From 1 March 2027, a rental property starting a new rental agreement — or converting to a periodic agreement where the relevant trigger applies — must have compliant cooling in the main living area.

By 1 July 2030, efficient cooling will be required in the main living area of all rental properties regardless of lease status.

Four-Star Showerheads From 1 March 2027

New rental agreements subject to the 2027 trigger will also need compliant 4-star showerheads from 1 March 2027.

Ceiling Insulation From 1 March 2027

Where a relevant ceiling space has no insulation, the new standard can require insulation to be installed to the prescribed level by an accredited professional when the tenancy reaches the applicable trigger point.

Exemptions can apply where installation is impractical, unsafe or outside the rental provider’s control, such as some apartment buildings with shared ceiling spaces.

Draughtproofing From 1 July 2027

From 1 July 2027, external doors, windows and unsealed wall vents must be draughtproofed when a new rental agreement begins or an existing agreement converts to a periodic agreement, subject to exemptions.

Where gas appliances are present, the required gas safety check must occur first. Certain open-flued or unflued gas appliances can prevent draughtproofing from proceeding because sealing the property could create a safety risk.

What Do the New Victorian Rental Rules Mean for Landlords?

For rental providers, the reforms are best treated as a rental compliance calendar, not one single deadline.

By September 2026, the November 2025, December 2025, March 2026 and July 2026 reforms are already operating. The next immediate compliance date is 13 October 2026, followed by the first energy-efficiency requirements on 1 March 2027 and draughtproofing on 1 July 2027.

Landlords should therefore review:

whether the property already meets Victoria’s rental minimum standards

records proving that compliance

smoke alarm servicing

gas and electrical safety-check dates

application and payment processes

likely heating and hot-water replacement needs

cooling, showerhead and ceiling-insulation requirements

potential draughtproofing work before the July 2027 trigger.

For properties that also need accessibility improvements, Mobility Access Modifications specialises in home modifications across Melbourne and offers options including rental-friendly removable ramps, door-threshold solutions and other non-invasive accessibility products that may suit rented homes.

What Do the New Victorian Rental Rules Mean for Renters?

Renters now have stronger protections at almost every stage of a tenancy: applying for a property, paying rent, remaining in the home, challenging a rent increase, moving to another property and disputing a bond claim.

The Portable Rental Bond Scheme can reduce the need to finance two full bonds simultaneously, while Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria (RDRV) provides a free dispute-resolution pathway for issues including bonds, repairs, compensation and excessive rent.

For an excessive rent increase specifically, the first formal step is generally to request a free rent assessment from Consumer Affairs Victoria. If the assessment finds the proposed increase excessive and the parties still cannot agree, the matter can proceed through RDRV and, if necessary, VCAT.

The Bottom Line

Victoria’s new rental rules are not one reform taking effect on one date. They are a staged overhaul running from late 2025 through 2027 and beyond.

The key dates are:

25 November 2025: no-fault eviction ban, stronger rental-bidding rules, 90-day rent-increase notices, minimum standards before advertising, annual smoke alarm checks and renter privacy protections

1 December 2025: blind-cord safety minimum standard

31 March 2026: prescribed rental application form, limits on applicant information, third-party fee restrictions and broader rent-increase assessment criteria

1 July 2026: Portable Rental Bond Scheme begins, with a $25 application fee

13 October 2026: strengthened bond claims, minimum-standard record keeping, two-yearly gas and electrical checks across rental agreements, gas checks before draughtproofing and the further application-fee ban

1 March 2027: first stage of new heating, hot-water, cooling, showerhead and ceiling-insulation standards

1 July 2027: draughtproofing requirements begin

1 July 2030: efficient cooling requirement extends to all rental properties regardless of lease status.

For both renters and rental providers, the practical approach is to work from the date that applies to the particular obligation rather than assuming every Victorian rental reform is already in force.

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