If you receive a notice of rent increase, Dear Landlord can help you to understand if the notice of rent increase is valid, and help you negotiate with your rental provider if you cannot afford the rent increase.
Explore your rent increase options.If you are unsure whether the rent increase notice is valid, what your options are, or whether you should apply to VCAT, we recommend seeking legal advice.
There are a number of services which can provide free legal help.
If you’re worried about whether you can afford a proposed rent increase or struggling with your finances, speak to a financial counsellor sooner rather than later.
Financial counsellors are qualified professionals who provide free information, advice and advocacy if you are in financial difficulty or struggling with debts. In particular, they can help you understand:
You can access financial counselling through:
You may be eligible for a one-off payment towards your rent if you are in financial stress, through the Victorian Government’s Private Rental Assistance Program. Call your local homelessness and housing organisation to find out if you can access the program.
The typical process to challenge a rent increase is to apply to Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) within 30 days of receiving your notice of rent increase.
Because you received your notice of rent increase more than 30 days ago, you will have to apply directly to VCAT. When you apply to VCAT outside of the 30 day window, you will need to explain why you didn’t apply to Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) sooner. VCAT will decide whether to allow your application.
We recommend that you seek legal assistance to apply to VCAT and that you make your application to VCAT as soon as possible.
You can apply to VCAT via their website.
You can apply to VCAT and ask them to make an order that the rent increase is not allowed.
If you have received the rent assessment report from Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV), you must apply to VCAT within 30 days. If you do not apply to VCAT within 30 days, you will need to explain the delay to VCAT and VCAT will decide whether to allow your application.
If you choose to apply to VCAT without the CAV report, you will need to explain to VCAT why you should be allowed to apply without the CAV report.
You can apply to VCAT via their website.
If you think the proposed increase is too high or may be invalid, you can apply to Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) to challenge it. CAV will then conduct a rent assessment for free.
You can apply for a rent assessment on the CAV website. You must make this application within 30 days of receiving the rent increase.
If you think the notice may be excessive or invalid, you can try to negotiate the proposed rent amount with your rental provider or real estate agent. Use Dear Landlord to draft a letter to your rental provider, offering them the same rent you are paying, or a lesser amount.
You can start negotiating with your rental provider at any stage.
A rental provider cannot increase your rent more often than the law allows.
You can use Dear Landlord to draft a letter to your rental provider letting them know that you think the notice may be invalid.
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