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What are 14 categories of minimum standards for rental properties?
The areas covered under legistlation are:
Bathroom
Electrical safety
The electrical safety rental minimum standard commenced on 29 March 2023.
Rental properties must have modern switchboards, with circuit breakers and electrical safety switches installed. Electrical safety switches are known as residual current devices (RCD, RCCB or RCBO).
Rental providers are responsible for engaging an electrician to ensure their rental property complies with the electrical safety standard.
If your rented premises has a circuit breaker type switchboard
The rented premises can meet the minimum standard if the electrician adds circuit breaker components to the power outlets and lighting circuits, without the need to add to or modify the circuit protection to other circuits (such as fixed cooking equipment, hot water units or air-conditioning circuits).
The circuit breaker components include:
If your rented premises does not have a circuit breaker type switchboard
Some properties do not have circuit breaker type switchboards, such as older properties that have a panel and fuse board or a federal fuse board.
With these older fuse boards, an electrician may not have the option of adding circuit breaker components (such as RCDs, RCCBs or RCBOs) and may have to replace the entire switchboard to ensure the rented premises meets the electrical safety standard. In this case, there must be circuit breaker components for all the circuits at the switchboard, including fixed cooking equipment, hot water units and air-conditioning circuits.
Heating
All rental properties must have a fixed heater (not portable) in good working order in the main living area.
For rental agreements entered into from 29 March 2023, this must be an energy efficient fixed heater in the main living area. If there is an existing fixed heater that is not energy efficient, the rental provider must upgrade it.
An energy efficient fixed heater must be one of the following:
In some apartment blocks it may not be practical to install an energy efficient heater – because of owner’s corporation rules, or costs, for example.
It may be unreasonable to install an energy efficient heater if:
If this is the case, the rental provider must still install a fixed heater in the main living area.
If a rental provider considers that it would be unreasonable to install an energy efficient fixed heater, they should:
Kitchen
The property must have a kitchen with:
If there is an oven, it needs to be in good working order.
These requirements do not apply if the property is listed in the heritage register at Heritage Council Victoria and has an approved exemption from the standard.
Laundry
If there is a laundry on the property, it must be connected to a reasonable supply of hot and cold water.
Lighting
Inside rooms, corridors and hallways must have access to light to make the areas functional. During the day, natural light can include light borrowed from an adjoining room. At night, renters should have access to artificial light.
These requirements do not apply if the property is registered under the Heritage Act 2017 and has an approved exemption from the standard
Locks
The property’s external entry doors must have functioning deadlocks (a ‘deadlock’ is defined as a deadlatch with at least one cylinder) or be fitted with locks that can be unlocked with a key from the outside but can be unlocked without one from the inside.
The only cases where a deadlock doesn’t have to be fitted to a door are when:
Read more about locks and security.
Mould and damp
All rooms must be free from mould and damp caused by or related to the building structure.
Structural soundness
The property must be structurally sound and weatherproof.
Toilets
The property’s toilet must be in good working order and connected to either:
The toilet must be in a separate room in the property, either by itself, or in an appropriate room like a bathroom or in a combined bathroom-laundry.
Ventilation
Rental properties must have adequate ventilation in all habitable rooms including the bathroom, shower, toilet and laundry.
The property must meet the appropriate ventilation requirements of the Building Code of Australia, which are different for different kinds of properties. You can search resources in the Australian Building Codes Board resources library.
Vermin Proof bins
Rental providers must supply a rubbish bin and a recycling bin for the renter to use.
The bins can be provided by the local council or purchased elsewhere, as long as they are vermin (for example, rats and mice) proof and meet council collection standards.
Window coverings
Windows in rooms likely to be used as bedrooms or living areas must be fitted with curtains or blinds that can be closed, block light and provide privacy.
Windows
All external windows in the rented premises which are capable of opening must have a functioning latch to secure the windows against external entry.
Openable windows must also be able to be left in the open or closed position.
Sections of the ACT
Minimum Standard for Rental Properties
Private Landlord’s
If you’re is not being managed by a real estate agency, you are not exempt from ensuing your property meets the 14 minimum standards. From our experience with VCAT hearings, most rental providers fail to maintain the property in good repair and compensation are usually awarded to the tenants. You are still bound by the same rules and regulation to ensure the tenants are able to have quiet enjoyment of the rented property.
Contact us today and book in your compliance audit.
Property Compliance Specialists provide expert compliance guidance and support services to empower property managers and real estate rental providers.