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Suburbs in Melbourne’s west with a high proportion of renters were the focus of Victoria’s third rental inspection “blitz”, as the state ramps up its crackdown on substandard rental properties.
Consumer Affairs Victoria reported that the state’s rental taskforce visited properties in Werribee and the surrounding suburbs on Saturday, 9 November, where it said over 33 per cent of dwellings are rental properties.
This is the third “blitz” the rental task force has conducted since its establishment in March this year, with these campaigns targeting areas with high numbers of renters, such as Clayton in August and Fitzroy in October, to ensure that rental properties are safe, secure and fit for renters to move into.
These rental inspections are examining whether advertised rental properties are meeting the state’s 14 mandatory rental minimum standards which cover aspects of properties that renters can reasonably expect, such as a functioning kitchen, secure windows and doors, and the structural integrity of a property.
Once a rental property is found to not meet the minimum standards, the taskforce then works with the respective agents and rental providers to make sure they understand their responsibilities and that the necessary repairs are completed before a renter moves in.
The organisation reminded rental proprietors that it is a criminal offence to let a new renter move into a rental property that doesn’t meet the minimum standards, noting that individuals can face maximum penalties of over $11,000 while companies can face maximum fines of more than $59,000.
In order to further crack down on rental offences, Consumer Affairs Victoria has also been following up on reports made to the organisation’s new online complaint form, which enables prospective tenants to flag substandard or falsely advertised properties.
These measures have been part of the state’s broader initiative to protect renters’ rights, with the Victorian government revealing last month that it has fined rental providers and real estate agencies over $450,000 since launching the state’s rental taskforce.
This focus is set to continue into the coming year, with the Victorian government recently unveiling the Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria (RDRV) system which is expected to launch in mid-2025, and aims to streamline the resolution process for renters and landlords.
The government also announced that a series of rental law reforms will be introduced to Parliament over the next 12 months, including a landmark proposal to ban “no-fault” evictions, meaning that tenants could no longer be asked to vacate a property without a valid reason.
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