In a recent case that went to VCAT, the tenants argued against a clause the landlord included in their lease (tenancy agreement). The landlord was attempting to make it the tenants’ responsibility to pay some of the landlord’s taxes and council charges. But according to the law – Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (Vic) – when it comes to property costs, the only things tenants have to pay for other than rent are the charges for

When the landlord wants to sell, they usually want to take photos inside your rented home. But do you have to let them in? VCAT says no. A recent case at VCAT dismissed a landlord’s compensation claim and noted that landlords do not have the right to enter a rented home for the purpose of taking photos. The landlord was claiming compensation for the photographer’s fee because the tenants did not let them in. The

Tenants Victoria has responded to the call by the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System to make a submission on the interactions between homelessness, tenancy and mental health. The Commission has asked interested parties to make their submissions by providing answers to a series of questions. Tenants Victoria has confined our submission to partial answers to three questions: What makes it hard for people to experience good mental health and what can be done

The Board of Tenants Victoria is delighted to announce the appointment of Jennifer Beveridge as its new Chief Executive Officer. Jennifer comes to Tenants Victoria from Eating Disorders Victoria where she was CEO from 2012. She has extensive not for profit leadership experience including in the health, youth and community development areas. In 2016 her achievements and experience were recognised with the award of a Churchill Fellowship to explore how innovation and collaboration improve outcomes

For many people, water just comes out of a tap on demand and we don’t give it any thought. But what about houses that rely on tank water? After 30 years under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (‘the Act’), we are entitled to expect that all the issues between landlords and tenants have been litigated, the law is settled and it’s all cut and dried. Sadly, now that many regional areas of Victoria are facing