What Do Victoria's 2026 Rental Reforms Actually Mean for Melbourne Renters and Landlords?

Victoria's rental laws underwent sweeping changes between November 2025 and March 2026, fundamentally altering the balance of power between renters and landlords. The reforms ban no-fault evictions (landlords can no longer terminate periodic leases or end fixed terms without grounds), prohibit rent bidding, extend rent increase notice periods to 60 days now 90 days from 25 November 2025, enforce stricter minimum rental standards, and impose new application data-privacy rules that limit what agents can keep and for how long. From March 2026, landlords must ensure properties meet minimum standards—including secure locks, weatherproofing, heating, and mould-related habitability measures—before advertising minimum standards must be met before advertising from 25 November 2025, while renters gain clearer pathways to enforce rights through Consumer Affairs Victoria and VCAT.

The Ban on No-Fault Evictions and What It Means for Lease Security

Under reforms effective in late 2025, landlords can no longer issue notices to vacate on periodic (month-to-month) leases without stating valid grounds, and they also cannot issue a notice to vacate at the end of a fixed term agreement without a valid reason. The new law requires landlords to specify one of several statutory grounds, including:

• Sale of the property with vacant possession required by the purchaser (with evidence requirements)
• Landlord or immediate family member intends to move into the property (with statutory declaration requirements)
• Substantial renovations that cannot be completed with the tenant in residence, supported by documentary evidence (including building permits in some cases)
• Tenant breached the lease (rent arrears, property damage, illegal activity), with proper notice and VCAT processes where required (see notice reasons and timeframes)

Critically, for some “landlord reason” notices (sale, demolition, business use, moving in), the law also restricts re-letting for a period after notice is given unless VCAT approves (see the 6-month re-letting restriction notes).

For Melbourne renters, particularly those in older walk-up apartments or houses in gentrifying suburbs like Footscray, Northcote, or Reservoir, this reform reduces the fear of arbitrary eviction after requesting repairs or disputing rent processes. Tenants can also challenge a notice to vacate at VCAT if they believe the grounds are invalid.

Rent Bidding Is Now Illegal: How the Ban Works in Practice

Victoria's rent bidding rules mean properties must be advertised with a fixed price and rental providers or agents cannot invite or accept offers above the advertised rent (see pricing and rent bidding rules when applying). Specifically:

• A property must be advertised with a fixed amount (not a range) and cannot be marketed in a way that invites higher offers
• It is unlawful for a rental provider or agent to accept an offer higher than the advertised rent (see Residential Tenancies Act s30F)
• Agents or landlords who accept higher offers face fines up to $13,260 for individuals and $66,280 for corporations s30F sets 60/300 penalty units; at $203.51 per unit in 2025–26 that’s $12,210.60 / $61,053.00

Despite the law, renters will still hear coded language at inspections. The safest play is simple: don’t put an agent in a position where they could accept an illegal offer. Instead, strengthen applications through complete documentation, verifiable income, strong references, and professional presentation—factors agents can legally weigh under the reforms.

Rent Increases: New Notice Periods and Frequency Limits

Landlords must now provide 60 days' written notice before increasing rent now 90 days’ notice from 25 November 2025. Additionally, rent increases are limited to once every 12 months for most leases (see how often rent can increase).

Victoria does not cap the amount by which rent can increase, but tenants can challenge excessive increases if they believe the new rent is more than the market range for comparable properties by requesting a rent assessment / rent increase investigation through Consumer Affairs Victoria.

A practical Melbourne scenario: a tenant in a two-bedroom apartment in Brunswick pays $580 per week. The landlord issues a notice increasing rent to $680 per week. The tenant gathers comparable listings and requests a CAV rent assessment. If the dispute escalates, VCAT can make orders about rent and related tenancy issues (see VCAT’s residential tenancies information).

Minimum Rental Standards: What Properties Must Include from 2026

Victoria's minimum standards (phased in since 2020) require all rental properties to meet baseline health, safety, and habitability criteria. The standards are set out in the minimum standards checklist and include requirements around:

• Locks and security (including secure external doors/windows where required) per the minimum standards checklist
• Heating in the main living area (fixed heating requirement) per the minimum standards checklist
• Weatherproofing and structural soundness (no water ingress and safe, functional building elements) per the minimum standards checklist
• Bathroom facilities, plumbing and drainage per the minimum standards checklist
• Window coverings in bedrooms and living areas per the minimum standards checklist
• Smoke alarms (installed and maintained; annual testing requirements apply) per Victorian rental smoke alarm rules

Properties failing to meet minimum standards cannot be legally advertised or let minimum standards must be met before advertising from 25 November 2025. Tenants in non-compliant properties can request repairs in writing, and if the landlord fails to act, escalate via the repairs process and, where needed, VCAT.

For urgent repairs—burst pipes, electrical hazards, or critical failures—tenants can arrange urgent repairs themselves where eligible (up to $2,500) and seek reimbursement (see urgent repairs costing $2500 or less).

Mould, Leaks, and Repair Delays: Tenant Rights Under the 2026 Framework

Mould is endemic in Melbourne's older rental stock, particularly in poorly ventilated apartments, converted weatherboard houses, and walk-ups built before modern waterproofing standards. Where mould is caused by property defects (leaking roofs, failed seals, blocked drainage, inadequate ventilation), it is a repairs issue and should be handled through the formal repairs pathway.

Under Victoria’s repairs framework, landlords must make urgent repairs immediately and non-urgent repairs within 14 days of a written request (see repair timeframes). If a tenant cannot live at the property while repairs are being done, compensation/rent arrangements should be negotiated and can be determined through dispute pathways (see temporary accommodation during repairs).

A typical Melbourne scenario: a tenant in a ground-floor apartment in Richmond notices black mould spreading across bedroom walls near an exterior-facing window. The tenant emails the landlord with photos and requests inspection and repair. If the landlord fails to respond or act, the tenant can escalate under the repairs process and seek orders through VCAT where appropriate.

Noisy Neighbours and Nuisance: What Tenants Can Actually Do

Noise complaints are among the most common disputes in Melbourne's medium- and high-density rental stock. Tenants have a right to “quiet enjoyment,” and there are formal timeframes for addressing breaches once a breach notice is issued (see quiet enjoyment breach timeframes).

For tenants suffering from noisy neighbors:

1. Document the disturbance: Record dates, times, duration, and nature of noise in a diary.
2. Contact the landlord or property manager: If the neighbour is also managed by the same agency/landlord, ask that they address the breach via the formal process (see breach notices and timeframes).
3. Use the residential noise framework: Victoria’s prohibited times vary by noise source (music, power tools, air conditioners, etc.) and are set out by EPA Victoria (see EPA residential noise prohibited times).
4. Apply to VCAT if necessary: If the issue can’t be resolved, tenancy disputes can be escalated (see VCAT).

Importantly, renters should avoid “self-help” responses like withholding rent; the repairs framework, for example, makes clear renters must keep paying rent even while waiting for repairs (see paying rent during repairs).

Application Data Privacy and What Agents Cannot Request

The 2026 reforms tighten rules around rental application data and what can be collected, kept, and reused. From 31 March 2026, rental providers and agents must use a prescribed application form and “standardised information required for rental applications” (see applying for a property).

Agents and landlords cannot require certain types of information, including (as set out in the application rules):

• Whether you have pursued legal action or been involved in legal disputes (unless you volunteer it) (see application rules)
• Your bond history (see application rules)
• Details of your bank account daily transactions (see application rules)

Selection decisions must also comply with anti-discrimination laws (see unlawful discrimination guidance).

On data handling, rental providers and agents must protect renter information and destroy or permanently de-identify it within set timeframes—for example, within 30 days after a rental agreement is entered into for unsuccessful applicants (or within 6 months if the applicant has consented to reuse their application), and within 3 years after the end of a tenancy (see mandatory destruction and de-identification timeframes).

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