Victoria Rental Pre-Agreement Handover: 17 Items Landlords Must Provide

Before a tenant signs a lease in Victoria, the landlord (or their agent) must hand over a completed Mandatory Disclosure Statement. Miss a single item and you're exposed to a fine of up to 60 penalty units — $12,546 in FY 2026–27 — under Section 30A of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997. Supplying false or misleading information carries the same penalty.

The Disclosure and Lease Documents

The disclosure covers a wider range of topics than most landlords expect. Here's what must be included:

Safety check dates and findings:

• The exact date of the most recent electrical safety check.
• The exact date of the most recent gas safety check (if the property has gas).
• The exact date of the most recent pool or spa barrier compliance check (if applicable).
• Full details of any unresolved safety recommendations from the most recent electrical or gas inspections.

Property history:

• Whether the property has been subject to repair notices or notices of action regarding structural mould or dampness within the preceding three years.
• Whether the property was, to the best of the landlord's knowledge, the site of a homicide within the preceding five years.
• Whether the property was used for drug trafficking or cultivation within the preceding five years.

Building and legal status:

• Copies of any outstanding building notices, emergency orders, or cladding rectification notices from local councils, VCAT, or the Victorian Building Authority.
• Copies of any outstanding structural defect orders.
• Whether the property is registered under the Heritage Act 2017.
• Whether a mortgagee (lender) is taking legal action for possession of the property.
• Whether an ongoing contract of sale exists.
• Details of any embedded energy network that supplies the property.

Other documents to provide at or before lease signing:

• Emergency contact details for urgent repairs (the designated trade contacts).
• The condition report (two copies, completed).
• The Consumer Affairs Victoria Renter Information Statement.
• The prescribed rental agreement form (Form 1 for fixed terms up to five years, Form 2 for longer terms).

Electronic Delivery

You can deliver these documents electronically — by email, through a property management portal, or as a shared digital folder — but only if the tenant explicitly consents in writing to electronic delivery. Without that written consent, you must provide physical copies.

What Happens If You Get It Wrong

The penalty for incomplete or misleading disclosure under Section 30A is up to 60 penalty units per offence. But the disclosure failure can also undermine the tenancy itself. If the landlord enters into an agreement for a non-compliant property, Section 65A lets the tenant terminate the agreement without financial penalty before taking possession — or move in and initiate urgent repair proceedings.

Practical Tips

Build the disclosure into your re-leasing workflow so it's automatic, not an afterthought:

• Keep your safety check certificates in a single compliance file. When it's time to disclose, the dates and findings are already in one place.
• For the mould, homicide, and drug cultivation questions, document your answer even if it's "no" — a written record that you considered each item is evidence of good faith if it's ever challenged.
• For heritage-listed properties, attach the formal Heritage Act 2017 registration notice rather than just mentioning it verbally.

The Rental Minimum Standards in Victoria guide includes a disclosure handover checklist that covers all 17 items with space for dates, signatures, and supporting document references — designed to satisfy the Section 65F record-keeping rules in one document.

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