Landlord guides for Victoria
Plain-English answers to the questions Victorian landlords ask, each linked to the official source.
Rent
Arrears, part payments, receipts and rent increases.
- Tenant hasn’t paid rent in Victoria: what to do, step by step
A renter has fallen behind on rent. A plain-English guide for Victorian landlords: what to do first, when a notice becomes possible, and what to record.
- Part payments and rent arrears in Victoria: how they change the days overdue
A renter paid some of the rent but not all. How part payments change the amount owing and the days overdue in Victoria, with a worked example.
- Rent receipts in Victoria: what landlords must give and keep
When a Victorian landlord must give a rent receipt, what it has to show, how long to keep rent records, and the payment-method rules that go with it.
- Rent increases in Victoria: how often, how much notice and how to do it
How often a Victorian landlord can raise rent, the 90 days’ notice rule from November 2025, the official form, fixed-term leases and how renters can challenge.
- Rental bond in Victoria: lodging it and claiming it at the end
How much bond a Victorian landlord can take, when to lodge it with the RTBA, how to claim it at the end, and the new advance notice rule from 13 October 2026.
Notices and VCAT
The 14-day rule, giving a notice to vacate, and what happens next.
- How many days overdue before you can issue a notice to vacate in Victoria
The 14-day rule for unpaid rent in Victoria, how to count the days with a worked example, and how part payments change the count.
- How to give a notice to vacate for unpaid rent in Victoria: a step-by-step checklist
A Victorian landlord’s checklist for a notice to vacate over unpaid rent: the official form, what it must say, the vacate date, delivery and records.
- What happens if the renter pays after a notice to vacate in Victoria
If a renter clears their rent after a notice to vacate, do they get to stay? What VCAT must do, the fifth-notice exception, and what to record.
- Ending a tenancy in Victoria: valid reasons and notice periods
A Victorian landlord needs a valid reason to give a notice to vacate. The reasons, the notice period for each (14, 28 or 90 days) and what evidence is needed.
- Going to VCAT over unpaid rent: what to prepare as a landlord
If a renter hasn’t paid after a notice to vacate, a Victorian landlord can apply to VCAT. What VCAT can order and the records worth having ready.
Renters and communication
Contact details, consent and how to serve documents.
- Renter changed their email: can you still serve notices by email?
In Victoria, email notices need the renter’s consent. What to do when a renter changes their email, withdraws consent, or there is more than one renter.
- More than one renter on the agreement: rent, notices and changes
When two or more renters share a Victorian rental, who is responsible for the rent, who to contact, and what to do when one leaves or someone new moves in.
Property, safety and repairs
Safety checks, minimum standards and repairs.
- Gas, electrical and smoke alarm checks for Victorian landlords: how often and what to keep
How often a Victorian landlord must have gas, electrical and smoke alarm checks done, who can do them, what to keep, and the 13 October 2026 changes.
- Rental minimum standards in Victoria: a plain-English checklist
The 15 minimum standards a Victorian rental must meet, when they apply, the rule to comply before advertising, and the records from 13 October 2026.
- Urgent and non-urgent repairs in Victoria: timeframes and what to do
What counts as an urgent repair in Victoria, the 14-day rule for other repairs, when a renter can arrange repairs up to $2,500, and what records to keep.
- Entering a rental property in Victoria: notice, times and how often
When a Victorian landlord can enter a rented property, the notice for each reason (24 hours, 48 hours, 7 days), allowed times and how often.