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What is the rental provider responsible for?

33 quoted answers, each with its source

The short answer

Victorian rental providers must organise and pay for repairs that are not the renter’s fault, make urgent repairs immediately, and make non-urgent repairs within 14 days of a written request; renters must continue paying rent while waiting and cannot organise and pay more than $2500 for urgent repairs themselves. Minimum standards apply to a renter who moved in on or after 29 March 2021, additional standards were introduced on 29 March 2022, 20 March 2023 and 1 December 2025, and from 25 November 2025 a property must meet the minimum standards before it is advertised, with advertising or offering a non-compliant property an offence; for rental agreements entered into from 29 March 2023 the fixed heater in the main living area must be energy efficient, and from 1 December 2025 all rental properties must have secured cords on internal window coverings. From 13 October 2026 rental providers and their agents must arrange gas and electrical safety checks by a qualified tradesperson every two years for all rental agreements, annual smoke alarm safety checks apply to all rental agreements from 29 March 2021, and new minimum rental standards for energy efficiency take effect from 1 March 2027. Where the minimum standards do not apply because a lease started before 29 March 2021 the landlord still has a legal duty to ensure the property is fit and safe to live in.

Every part of this comes from the quotes below. How we write these.

What the rules actually say16

Quoted straight from Consumer Affairs Victoria, the Residential Tenancies Act or a tribunal.

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Victorian rental providers must arrange electrical safety checks by a qualified tradesperson every two years for all rental agreements, whether they commenced before, on or after 13 October 2026.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
Rental providers and their agents must arrange gas and electrical safety checks by a qualified tradesperson every two years for all rental agreements, whether they commenced before, on or after 13 October 2026.
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Victorian rental providers and agents must make sure a property meets minimum standards at the time they advertise or offer to let the property.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
Rental providers (landlords) and agents must make sure a property meets minimum standards at the time they advertise or offer to let the property.
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Victorian rental providers and their agents must arrange annual smoke alarm safety checks for all rental agreements, whether they commenced before, on or after 29 March 2021.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
Rental providers and their agents must arrange annual smoke alarm safety checks for all rental agreements, whether they commenced before, on or after 29 March 2021.
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Consumer Affairs Victoria states that rental providers in Victoria must make non-urgent repairs within 14 days of getting a written request.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
Rental providers must make non-urgent repairs within 14 days of getting a written request.
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Consumer Affairs Victoria states that renters must continue to pay rent while waiting for repairs to be done.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
Renters must continue to pay rent while waiting for repairs to be done or waiting to be paid back for repairs.
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The rental provider must…

  • organise all repairs to a Victorian rental property that are not the renter's fault.
  • pay for all repairs to a Victorian rental property that are not the renter's fault.
first-party
1 quote from 1 source
The rental provider must organise and pay for all repairs if they are not the renter’s fault.
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Consumer Affairs Victoria states that urgent repairs must be done immediately because they make the property unsafe or difficult to live in.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
Urgent repairs must be done immediately because they make the property unsafe or difficult to live in.
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  • Consumer Affairs Victoria offers a free repairs inspection.
  • Consumer Affairs Victoria's free repairs inspection includes a Consumer Affairs Victoria inspector visiting the property.
  • Consumer Affairs Victoria's free repairs inspection includes a Consumer Affairs Victoria inspector writing a report about the repairs.
first-party
1 quote from 1 source
One of our inspectors can visit the property and write a report about the repairs. This is a free service.
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Tenants Victoria states that a landlord or agent failing to give a renter a copy of the most recent gas and electrical safety checks is a breach of duty under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997.

medium confidence
1 quote from 1 source
Failure by the landlord or agent to give you a copy of the most recent checks is a breach of duty under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997.
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Tenants Victoria states that where Victoria's minimum standards do not apply because a lease started before 29 March 2021, the landlord still has a legal duty to ensure the rental property is fit and safe to live in.

medium confidence
1 quote from 1 source
If the minimum standards do not apply because your lease started before 29 March 2021, your landlord still has a legal duty to ensure that the rental property is fit and safe to live in and that any appliances, fittings and furnishings they provide are in good repair.

Practical effect1

What is observed to happen in practice, as distinct from what is documented.

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Tenants Victoria reports that some landlords or their agents ask renters to pay a 'pet bond' if they have a pet.

medium confidence
1 quote from 1 source
Some landlords (officially called rental providers) or their agents ask renters to pay a ‘pet bond’ if they have a pet. They may say that this is to cover costs if the pet damages the property.

Changed on13

A dated change. This is where advice quietly stops being true.

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  • Victorian rental providers must arrange gas safety checks by a qualified tradesperson every two years for all rental agreements, whether they commenced before, on or after 13 October 2026.
  • Victorian rental providers' agents must arrange gas safety checks by a qualified tradesperson every two years for all rental agreements, whether they commenced before, on or after 13 October 2026.
  • Victorian rental providers' agents must arrange electrical safety checks by a qualified tradesperson every two years for all rental agreements, whether they commenced before, on or after 13 October 2026.
first-party
1 quote from 1 source
Rental providers and their agents must arrange gas and electrical safety checks by a qualified tradesperson every two years for all rental agreements, whether they commenced before, on or after 13 October 2026.
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From 1 December 2025 all Victorian rental properties must have secured cords on internal window coverings to prevent them forming loops.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
From 1 December 2025, all rental properties must have secured cords on internal window coverings to prevent them forming loops.
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From 25 November 2025 Victorian rental properties must meet the minimum standards before they are advertised.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
From 25 November 2025, rental properties must meet the minimum standards before they’re advertised.
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In Victorian rental agreements entered into from 29 March 2023, the fixed heater in the main living area must be an energy efficient fixed heater.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
For rental agreements entered into from 29 March 2023, this must be an energy efficient fixed heater in the main living area. If there is an existing fixed heater that is not energy efficient, the rental provider must upgrade it.
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Additional Victorian rental minimum standards were introduced on…

  • 29 March 2022.
  • 20 March 2023.
  • 1 December 2025.
1 quote from 1 source
Additional minimum standards were introduced on 29 March 2022, 20 March 2023 and 1 December 2025.
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From 25 November 2025 it is an offence in Victoria for a landlord or their agent to advertise or offer a property for rent that does not meet the minimum standards.

1 quote from 1 source
From 25 November 2025, it also an offence for a landlord or their agent to advertise or offer a property for rent that does not meet the minimum standards.
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Victoria's rental minimum standards apply to a renter who moved into their rental property on or after 29 March 2021.

1 quote from 1 source
The minimum standards apply if you moved into your rental property on or after 29 March 2021.

Disputed between sources1

Sources that do not agree, presented without picking a winner.

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Tenants Victoria states that the landlord or agent must make sure gas and electrical safety checks are carried out every 2 years.

medium confidencefirst-party
2 quotes from 2 sources
Rental providers and their agents must arrange gas and electrical safety checks by a qualified tradesperson every two years for all rental agreements, whether they commenced before, on or after 13 October 2026.
The landlord or agent must make sure gas and electrical safety checks are carried out every 2 years. These must be done by a licenced or registered gas fitter or electrician [Regulations, schedule 3].

Often said, but we could not find it in the rules2

Lots of people say this. We went looking for an official source that backs it up and could not find one, so treat it as something people repeat rather than something settled.

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Compton Green states that from 1 December 2025 all Victorian residential rental properties must comply with new blind and curtain cord safety standards.

vendor
1 quote from 1 source
From 1 December 2025, all Victorian residential rental properties must comply with new blind and curtain cord safety standards.
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Compton Green tells renters that safety upgrades are considered an urgent repair for its property management team to action.

medium confidencevendor
1 quote from 1 source
If you notice loose or hanging cords, let your property manager know immediately. Safety upgrades are considered an urgent repair for our property management team to action.