Victoria Rental Law Changes October 2026: What Landlords Need to Know

On 13 October 2026, the biggest expansion of Victoria's rental compliance rules since the original 2021 reforms took effect. The changes close the gap that let landlords with older, pre-2021 tenancies avoid the safety check and record-keeping rules that newer leases already had to follow.

If you own a rental property in Victoria — whether it's on a new lease, a periodic tenancy, or a legacy agreement from before March 2021 — these changes apply to you right now.

Safety Checks Now Cover Every Active Tenancy

Before 13 October 2026, mandatory two-yearly gas and electrical safety checks only applied to tenancies entered into, renewed, or rolled over on or after 29 March 2021. Legacy periodic tenancies that started before that date were exempt.

That exemption is gone. From 13 October 2026, the two-yearly electrical safety check and the two-yearly gas safety check (for gas-connected properties) apply to every active residential tenancy in Victoria, regardless of when the agreement started.

If your property has been continuously tenanted since before 2021 and has never had a formal safety check, arrange one now; the two-yearly requirement applies to every active tenancy from 13 October 2026.

Mandatory Record-Keeping (Sections 65C–65F)

The Consumer Legislation Amendment Act 2025 inserted Sections 65C through 65F into the Residential Tenancies Act 1997, all commencing on 13 October 2026. These sections create a formal obligation to:

• Create compliance records proving the property met all 15 minimum standards before you advertised it and before the tenant moved in.
• Retain those records for a minimum of seven years.
• Produce records on demand when a CAV inspector requests them.

Failing to produce records when asked is a standalone offence carrying up to 60 penalty units — $12,546 for an individual landlord in the 2026–27 financial year. The records must be specific: trade invoices alone are not enough. You need formal safety check reports, Certificates of Electrical Safety, condition report entries, and dated photographs.

Pre-Advertising Compliance Enforcement (Section 65B)

Section 65B, which commenced on 25 November 2025, makes it an offence to advertise or offer a property for rent unless it meets every one of the 15 Schedule 4 minimum standards. With the October 2026 record-keeping requirements now in force, CAV's Renting Taskforce can audit advertised listings and demand documentary proof of compliance.

The practical effect: you can't advertise first and fix problems later. Every standard — from deadlocks and switchboard RCDs to window cord anchors and fixed heating — must be satisfied before the listing goes live.

What Hasn't Changed

The 15 minimum standards themselves haven't changed in October 2026. The standards under Schedule 4 of the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021 remain as they've been since the window cord safety anchor requirement was added on 1 December 2025. What changed is the scope (all tenancies) and the enforcement mechanism (formal record-keeping).

The next substantive change comes on 1 March 2027, when WELS 4-star shower heads become mandatory for new and renewed tenancies — upgrading from the current 3-star requirement. Energy efficiency standards for ceiling insulation and draught-sealing are also slated for 2027 but haven't been finalised yet.

What to Do Now

If you haven't already, arrange a full compliance audit against all 15 Schedule 4 standards. Book the two-yearly electrical and gas safety checks if they're overdue, and make sure every document — reports, certificates, condition photos — goes into a compliance file you can produce on request.

The Rental Minimum Standards in Victoria guide walks through the entire pre-advertising sequence step by step, with a 15-category audit sheet, a multi-year safety calendar, and a disclosure handover checklist that covers the October 2026 record-keeping requirements.

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