Rental Law Changes Victoria 2026 — What Landlords Need to Know
Victorian rental law has gone through more change in the past twelve months than in the previous decade. The Consumer and Planning Legislation Amendment (Housing Statement Reform) Act 2025 rewrote significant parts of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997, and a wave of regulatory changes followed through 2026. Here is what is actually in force now and what is coming next.
November 2025: The Big Structural Changes
No-fault end-of-fixed-term evictions are gone. Sections 91ZZD and 91ZZDA of the RTA were formally repealed on 25 November 2025. Previously, a landlord could issue a 60-day notice at the end of a fixed-term agreement without giving any reason. That is no longer possible. When a fixed-term lease expires and neither party has acted, it automatically rolls into a periodic agreement under section 91Q. To end the tenancy, the landlord must establish one of the specific statutory grounds — sale, owner move-in, major repairs, demolition, business change of use, public purpose, or a fault-based ground.
No-fault notice periods increased to 90 days. All property-use grounds (owner move-in under s 91ZZA, property sale under s 91ZZB, major repairs under s 91ZX, demolition under s 91ZY, business change of use under s 91ZZ, and public purpose under s 91ZZC) now require a minimum of 90 days' notice, up from the previous 60. Fault-based notices remain at 14 days for most grounds and immediate for serious damage, danger, or uninhabitable premises.
Mandatory evidence attachments are stricter. Section 91ZZO was tightened to require more detailed evidence with each notice. Statutory declarations, sales contracts, trades quotes, and photographic evidence must accompany the relevant notice. A notice served without its required attachments is void.
Early 2026: New Bodies and Digital Systems
Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria (RDRV) went live. RDRV handles fast-track administrative resolution for bond allocation disputes, repair orders, and rent increase challenges. It does not — and cannot — handle notices to vacate, possession orders, or tenancy terminations. Those remain under VCAT's exclusive jurisdiction. Landlords who file a possession matter with RDRV instead of VCAT will waste time being redirected.
The RTBA went fully digital. Since December 2025, the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority has operated entirely online. Paper forms, cheques, and physical lodgments are permanently discontinued. Bond payments, transfers, and end-of-tenancy claims all happen through the digital portal at rentalbonds.vic.gov.au.
October 2026: Record-Keeping and Evidence Rules
Bond claim evidence requirements are live. From 13 October 2026, landlords making a claim against a rental bond at the end of a tenancy must give the renter advance notice and upload supporting evidence to the RTBA portal. You cannot simply make a claim and wait for the renter to object — the evidence burden is now on the landlord upfront.
Mandatory digital compliance records. Landlords must maintain verifiable digital records for property minimum standards compliance and two-yearly gas and electrical safety inspections across all active tenancies. While missing safety records do not automatically invalidate a fault-based notice, they expose you to regulatory fines and counter-claims at VCAT.
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Coming March 2027: Minimum Standards Upgrades
These are announced and legislated but not yet in force:
- Installed cooling in the main living area
- Ceiling insulation meeting thermal resistance thresholds
- Four-star water-efficient showerheads
- Mandatory replacement of end-of-life gas space heaters and hot water systems with efficient electric alternatives
Landlords preparing properties for future letting should factor these into maintenance budgets now, but they are not compliance requirements until 1 March 2027.
What This Means for Ending a Tenancy
The combined effect of the 2025-2026 changes is that ending a tenancy in Victoria now requires more documentation, longer timelines, and stricter procedural compliance than ever before. A landlord who last ended a tenancy three years ago and tries to follow the same process will almost certainly serve an invalid notice.
The Ending a Tenancy in Victoria guide is written for the current October 2026 legal framework. It clearly separates the rules that are in force now from the 2027 standards that are coming, so you are working from the right set of requirements.
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