Victoria Rental Advertising Compliance: Section 65B Rules for Landlords

Since 25 November 2025, advertising a Victorian rental property that doesn't meet every one of the 15 minimum standards is a statutory offence. Section 65B of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 is blunt: a rental provider or managing agent must not advertise or offer a residential property for lease unless it fully satisfies every applicable standard under Schedule 4 of the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021.

What "Advertising" Means

Section 65B covers every form of marketing — listing sites like Domain and realestate.com.au, agency window cards, social media posts, word-of-mouth offers through an agent, and even informal notices on community boards. If you're offering the property for rent in any public or semi-public way, the compliance obligation applies.

You cannot advertise the property with a disclaimer like "repairs to be completed before move-in." The standard must be met before the listing goes live.

What CAV Can Do

Consumer Affairs Victoria's Renting Taskforce actively monitors rental listings. Prospective tenants who notice a non-compliant property can report it to CAV, which may prompt a regulatory inspection. Under Section 65F (commenced 13 October 2026), CAV inspectors can demand that you produce documentary proof that the property met all minimum standards at the time of advertising.

If you can't produce the evidence — formal safety check reports, condition report entries, certificates, and dated photographs — that failure is a separate offence on top of the advertising breach.

The Penalties

Advertising a non-compliant property carries up to 60 penalty units — $12,546 for an individual landlord in FY 2026–27. For a body corporate (corporate landlord or trustee), the maximum is 300 penalty units ($62,730).

This stacks with the Section 65A penalty if you then actually rent the non-compliant property (another 60 penalty units), and with the Section 65F penalty if you can't produce compliance records on demand (another 60 penalty units).

The Pre-Advertising Sequence

The practical implication is that compliance must be the first step, not the last. Before you write the listing:

1. Complete a full property audit against all 15 Schedule 4 standards.
2. Confirm the electrical safety check is within its two-year interval and keep the report and Certificate of Electrical Safety; arrange a check if it is due.
3. If the property has gas, confirm its safety check is within the two-year interval and keep the report; arrange a check if it is due.
4. Confirm smoke alarms are tested and within their 10-year expiry.
5. Verify window coverings in bedrooms and living areas, window cord safety anchors, external door deadlocks, window latches, and every other standard on the Schedule 4 list.
6. Compile your compliance records into a file you can produce on demand.
7. Then — and only then — list the property.

Agent Liability

If you use a property manager, they share the advertising obligation. An agent who lists a non-compliant property on your behalf is also committing an offence under Section 65B. But this doesn't transfer your own liability — you and the agent can both be fined for the same listing.

This is why many agencies now require a signed compliance declaration from the landlord before they'll publish a listing. If you receive one of these requests from your agent, it's not an upsell — it's the agent protecting themselves (and you) from a joint offence.

The Rental Minimum Standards in Victoria guide includes a 15-category audit sheet designed for the pre-advertising sequence, with pass/fail checkboxes, defect notes, and document cross-references that satisfy the Section 65F evidence standard.

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