Proposed reforms to the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (Vic)

In November 2014, the Victorian Government announced a comprehensive review into the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 '(RTA)'. The review, due for completion in 2018, is aimed to amend the RTA to meet the expectations of current and future landlords and tenants in Victoria. Main areas for reform include:

• extend the scope of the RTA to include long-term tenancies beyond five years duration;
• require disclosure of landlord details in tenancy agreements;
• create more rights for tenants, such as making 'no pets' clauses unenforceable if it's unreasonable, mandate 7 days' notice for landlord visits and premises to have reasonable security measures;
• require rental agreements to set out the liability for removal of fixtures and maintenance requirements;
• extend conciliation services to landlords as well as tenants; and
• require VCAT to hear all applications within 2 business days.

A full list of the proposed reforms can be found at http://fairersaferhousing.vic.gov.au/renting.