Residential Tenancies Act Amendments 2021 - Landlord FAQ
Danielle Reynolds
March 2021
Who will these regulations affect?
Tenants, landlords and real estate agents for the below property types.
- private rental housing
- public and social housing
- rooming houses
- caravan parks
- residential parks
What is the RTA?
The RTA is the Residential Tenancies Act, and this Act outlines the obligations of landlords, tenants and property managers.
What is the purpose of these reforms?
The purpose of these reforms to ensure a common safety standard for homes across all residential properties in Victoria.
What do the regulations include?
- A new standard form rental agreement, that better informs tenants and landlords of their rights and responsibilities
- Rental minimum standards that all rented premises must meet. Majority of these standards will be required for all new tenancies, and the others will be phased in over 3 years to allow for landlords of current leases to adjust.
- Maximum bond amounts
- Standard condition reports tailored to reflect the differing requirements of different types of rental accommodation.
- Modifications that tenants can make to rented premises without the consent of the landlord
- Updated amount to the cost of urgent repairs that tenants can authorise
- Safety related activities that much be included in the tenancy agreement.
There are some new terms/definitions in these regulations, what are they and what do they mean?
The Regulations use terms that apply from 29 March 2021. These are:
- renters – currently called tenants
- rental providers – currently called landlords
- rental agreements – currently called tenancy agreements
- rooming house operators – currently called rooming house owners.
When will the regulations come into place?
Some changes have already been implemented, and all other changes will be in place by 29th March 2021. Until the changes come into effect at the end of March, the current laws apply.
What do I as a landlord need to do before the regulations come into place?
Please ensure that you familiarise yourselves with the regulations that are being legislated. We are sending out a number of communications to ensure that you are kept as up to date as possible, and if you have any questions please contact your Property Manager.
You will need to ensure that your property meets the minimum basic safety requirements before the 29th March 2021. These includes ensuring that you have a specialist check all smoke alarms (checked every year), as well as gas and electricity services (every 2 years, commencing this year).
Where can I find more information?
Should you have any questions about how these changes may affect your situation please don’t hesitate to call your property manager to find out more.
Otherwise, you can find more information via the following links:
https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/housing/renting/changes-to-renting-laws
