Victoria Landlord Penalties for Non-Compliance: Fine Amounts and How They Stack
Victorian rental compliance penalties are set in penalty units, not fixed dollar amounts, and the value of a penalty unit increases every financial year. In FY 2026–27 (1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027), one penalty unit is $209.10. The previous year it was $203.51. The Treasurer of Victoria publishes the new rate each July under the Monetary Units Act 2004.
The Main Offences and Their Maximums
| Offence | Section | Max (individual) | Max (body corp) | FY 2026–27 individual $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renting a non-compliant property | 65A | 60 PU | 300 PU | $12,546 |
| Advertising a non-compliant property | 65B | 60 PU | 300 PU | $12,546 |
| Failing to produce compliance records | 65F | 60 PU | 300 PU | $12,546 |
| Incomplete or misleading disclosure | 30A | 60 PU | 300 PU | $12,546 |
| Draughtproofing without gas check | 68C | 150 PU | 750 PU | $31,365 |
| Prohibited lease terms | 27B | 60 PU | 300 PU | $12,546 |
Corporate landlords — properties held through a company, trust with a corporate trustee, or other body corporate — face maximums of five times the individual rate.
How Penalties Stack
These offences are not alternatives. A landlord who advertises a non-compliant property and then rents it out faces both the Section 65B and Section 65A penalties. If CAV then asks for records and the landlord can't produce them, Section 65F adds a third offence. Each is a separate charge with its own maximum.
The theoretical maximum for a single non-compliant letting — advertising, renting, and failing to produce records — is 180 penalty units ($37,638) for an individual landlord. These are statutory maximums, not automatic fines.
The Section 68C Outlier
Draughtproofing a gas-connected property without completing the mandatory pre-draughtproofing gas check carries a significantly higher penalty: 150 penalty units for individuals ($31,365) and 750 penalty units for body corporates ($156,825). This reflects the life-safety risk — sealing up a property with open-flued gas appliances can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
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Beyond Fines: VCAT Orders
Fines are only one part of the enforcement picture. Under Section 72, tenants can apply to VCAT for urgent repair orders if a minimum standard isn't met. VCAT must hear urgent repair applications within two business days. The tenant can also arrange repairs up to $2,500 themselves and demand reimbursement within seven days.
Under Section 77, VCAT can redirect the tenant's rent into a Rent Special Account — the landlord stops receiving rent until the breach is fixed. If the repairs remain unexecuted, the tenant can apply to have the accumulated rent refunded as compensation.
How to Avoid the Exposure
The numbers look alarming, but the compliance requirement is straightforward: meet all 15 Schedule 4 standards, keep your safety checks current, retain the documentation, and don't advertise until everything is in order.
The Rental Minimum Standards in Victoria guide maps every standard, check, and record-keeping requirement into a single compliance workflow, with a penalty reference table so you know exactly what's at stake for each obligation.
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