Residential Tenancies Act

The Residential Tenancies Act 1997 provides the legal background to tenancies in Victoria. Rooming houses are covered in Part 3 therefore ensure you familiarise yourself with this part.

There are strict requirements for information that:

• You are required to tell a prospective resident
• You can’t ask a prospective resident

More detailed information can be found at Rooming house rental agreements - Consumer Affairs Victoria

Applicable Agreements

• Fixed-term rooming house agreement (≤ 5 years) This allows a resident to stay for a certain amount of time.
• Open-ended written agreement (periodic). This means the resident and operator are not committed to the resident staying for a certain amount of time.
• Verbal agreement (discouraged due to lack of proof)

Use Prescribed Rooming House Agreements

• Fixed-term or open-ended agreements must use the template at rooming-house-residency-agreement-word.docx  

Rent & Bond Limits

• No more than 14 days’ rent in advance
• Bond capped at 28 days’ rent for fixed-term agreements, 14 days in any other case
• Bond must be lodged within 14 days with the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA)

More information can be found at Lodging the bond with the RTBA

Provide Mandatory Documents to Residents

• Rooming House Residents Guide
• Operator’s contact details
• Statement of rights and duties
• House rules
• Notice of shared or exclusive room rights
• Itemised costs for extra services (e.g., embedded networks, linen, cleaning)

For more detail, plus document templates, go to What must an operator give a new resident?

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