Victorian tenants given a lifeline with $100 million in rights and advice – realestate.com.au

Thousands of Victorian renters will share in a $100 million lifeline aimed at improving their access to advocacy and advice.

The State Government has announced $98 million to fund a Victorian Tenants Rights Program over the next five years that will help provide localized access to advocacy for tenants across the state, provide specific support for tenants aged 55 and over, and establish a Victorian Tenants Helpline.

It is in addition to $10.2 million in funding to help renters through the Consumer Affairs Victoria programs this financial year, and will take the state’s capacity to help renters from 12,663 to 25,500.

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The suite of programs will replace a range of existing services, including the Rental Assistance and Advocacy Program, the Tenancy Central Service and the Retirement Housing Assistance and Advocacy Program.

An additional $16.4 million is available to extend financial guidance through fiscal year 2027.

The series of changes follows a review of CAV’s rental and financial advisory services.

New programs are expected to launch later this year.

The evaluation found that prioritizing early intervention, comprehensive support programs and better access were becoming increasingly important.

Consumer Affairs Minister Nick Staikos says Victoria is the best state to be a renter, and new funding will help strengthen that position.

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Consumer Affairs Minister Nick Staikos said the services would help more Victorians access support, advocacy and advice after more than 150 rental reforms were introduced across the state.

“We know the cost of living is a priority for many Victorians and this Labor government will always support them,” Staikos said.

Tenants Victoria chief executive Jennifer Beveridge said for many tenants, a lack of support around their tenancy rights meant they were paying more money to heat and cool homes that had trouble letting weather conditions affect indoor temperatures more than they should.

“And if they have problems making repairs, they will find solutions themselves – often at a cost to the tenant,” Ms Beveridge said.

She added that renters Victoria welcomed the announcement, the assessment results and the additional funding for tenant support programs.

Tenants Victoria chief executive Jennifer Beveridge believes more funding will ensure more tenants can access support much faster than is currently the case.

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“The first thing this means is that the Government has listened to the feedback and there are not enough services to meet demand,” Ms Beveridge said.

“They picked up on all the overarching areas that we were concerned about.”

While the funding would provide more services, she said it would also help generate data that can be used to analyze where support is most needed and isolate problem areas more quickly.

While funding and new programs will start later this year, Tenants Victoria CEO said it would likely not be until 2027 before significant increases in capacity and support would be achieved, as it would take time to hire new staff, among other things.

“We are very keen to work with the government to roll this out so we can deliver a much stronger rental support program in Victoria,” Ms Beveridge said.

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