Renters’ rights
Victoria’s rental rules have changed.
The changes included:
- minimum standards for rental properties
- changes to how repairs and modifications are managed
- a ban on rental bidding
- improvements to eviction protocols
VCOSS is playing a support and coordination role, making sure community support workers understand the changes, and have all the information they need to support renters to exercise their new rights.
Renting and climate change
October 2025
Victoria’s homes weren’t built for a changing climate. Increasing temperatures and more frequent climate-driven disasters, coupled with barriers to ensuring rental homes are compliant with minimum standards, mean renters are having increasing difficulty securing access to safe, affordable housing that protects them from climate hazards.
In partnership with Financial Counselling Victoria and Tenants Victoria, this Renters’ Rights Rundown event specifically looked at the impacts of climate change on renters.
Renting and young people
August 2025
Young people are finding it increasingly difficult to secure and sustain safe and affordable rental housing, and to assert their rights.
The session looked at Young people are finding it increasingly difficult to secure and sustain safe and affordable rental housing, and to assert their rights.
The session provided an overview of the current rental market for young Victorians and the specific barriers young people are facing, key rights that renters have under the Residential Tenancies Act and the unique challenges or experiences young people may face in asserting these rights and Ways that community sector workers can help young people to assert their rights and access legal and non-legal assistance.
Special thanks to Stephanie Pashias, Senior Lawyer from Youth Law who recorded this follow-up video of questions we weren’t able to get to on the day.
Disaster recovery and renting
June 2025
In recent years, Victoria has experienced some of the most devastating disasters in our post-colonial history: the 2019/20 bushfires, the 2022 floods, significant storms, and the recent Western Victoria bushfires. Many of these disasters have impacted areas with high numbers of renters already dealing with insecure, unaffordable housing.
This session looked at the integral role housing plays in disaster recovery, and the unique challenges renters experiencing disasters come up against in knowing, exercising, and enforcing their rental rights.
Fairer, Safer Renting – what’s the current state of play in Victoria and what’s next?
March 2025
Marking the fourth anniversary of the 2021 Residential Tenancy Act Reform, this session featured conversation between Kat Theophanous, newly appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Renters, and VCOSS CEO Juanita Pope.
Followed by a presentation and audience Q&A with Tenants Victoria’s Senior Lawyer, Ben Cording.
Resources
- Tenants Victoria slide deck (PDF)
Renters’ Rights Rundown: Your questions answered
With so many great questions on the day, we weren’t able to get to them all. We invited Tenants Victoria, Ben Cording back to answer them in four, bite-sized parts:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Older people and renting
November 2024
This session featured Shane McGrath, a Senior Tenancy and Retirement Worker at Housing for the Aged Action Group.
Shane shared common issues that older people experience in different forms of housing, including rental villages, residential parks, and retirement villages.
Resources
- Slide deck (PDF)
Disability and Tenancy Rights
August 2024
This session included presentations from Villamanta Disability Rights Legal Service and Action for More Independence & Dignity in Accommodation (AMIDA), featuring a summary of recent changes to the Residential Tenancies Act.
Resources
- Villamanta slide deck (PDF)
- AMIDA slide deck (PDF)
- Full webinar transcript (PDF)
- Overview of changes to the Residential Tenancies Act (PDF)
Minimum standards, thermal comfort and energy efficiency
June 2024
This session focussed on proposed new standards relating to thermal comfort and energy efficiency, and took a deep dive into new VCOSS research about the energy-health-hardship nexus.
Getting the best outcomes for people experiencing family violence
June 2024
Included presentations from Justice Connect, Safe and Equal, and No to Violence.
Resources
- Safe and Equal slide deck (PDF)
- No To Violence slide deck (PDF)
- Justice Connect slide deck (PDF)
- Full webinar transcript (PDF)
Three years on…
March 2024
A took a look back on the significant reforms of the Residential Tenancies Act in 2021, and where we are today.
Resources
- Tenants Victoria slide deck
- ‘Renters’ Rights: three years on’ (Summary article)
- Download the transcript (PDF)
Explore past sessions
Key resources
VCOSS is the peak body for Victoria’s social and community sector, and the state’s premier social advocacy body.
We work towards a Victoria free from poverty and disadvantage, where every person and community experiences genuine wellbeing.
Renters’ rights
Project status
Ongoing
Key contact
Deborah Fewster
Partners
Victorian Department of Government Services.
Victorian Property Fund.
Related content
VCOSS acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country, and we pay respect to Elders and Ancestors. Our business is conducted on sovereign, unceded Aboriginal land. The VCOSS offices are located on Wurundjeri Woiwurrung land in central Naarm.