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Dear Landlord
A self-help tool for renters in Victoria
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Draft your payment plan letter

You have selected:
    1
    2Contact details
    3Rental provider or agent's details
    4Circumstances
    5Rent, rent owing & income
    6Upfront payment option
    7Payment plan details
    8Create your letter

    Your personal information

    Justice Connect will collect some personal information from you to generate your document. We will store this information securely.

    With your permission, we may use your email to contact you for feedback about your Dear Landlord experience. We may use de-identified and aggregate data from Dear Landlord to improve the tool & advocate for Victorian renters.

    Read our privacy policy to understand how we collect, use and store your personal information.

    Privacy Policy Checkbox*
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    To begin drafting your letter, enter a few details about you and your situation.

    Your contact details

    These will be used in the letter

    Before you begin have the details of your rental provider or property manager handy - including their full name and email address
    Hidden
    DD slash MM slash YYYY
    Hidden
    Hidden
    Hidden
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    Your details

    Your address

    This is the address you are requesting a payment plan for
    Do you have co-tenants on the lease?*
    Hidden
    Hidden
    Co-tenant Names*
    Use the buttons to add/remove your co-tenants
    A co-tenant is anyone else listed on your rental agreement
    Consent to be contacted for feedback

    Your rental provider or agent's details

    This will be used in the letter

    Does your rental provider use an agent to manage the property?*
    If you're not sure, check any emails or letters received from your rental provider or real estate agent. If it's a real estate agency, you can search the company name on the internet to find their contact details

    Your circumstances

    Great. Now let's include more about your situation and why you're behind in rent. This will be included in the letter and help your rental provider understand your situation.

    Select why you are behind in rent*
    Select as many as apply
    Hidden
    If your circumstances are not listed, use the ‘other’ option. You can also use the 'other' option to tell the rental provider more about your situation if you want.

    Your rent, arrears & income

    The next few questions are optional, but will help you work out how much to pay back.

    If you are writing this letter on behalf of your co-tenants, enter your household's total rent.
    How often?
    Hidden
    Hidden - Rent Filled out?

    How much $

    If you don't receive the same income amount each month, enter an estimated average. If you are writing this letter on behalf of your household, enter your household's average income
    How often?

    Upfront payment

    You are behind in rent by {How much are you behind?:18}

    You can nominate to offer as a one-off upfront payment if you have some money available immediately. This is completely optional.

    Do you want to make an upfront payment?*
    DD slash MM slash YYYY
    There is no set limit to how much you can offer as an one-off upfront payment. It can be as little as you can afford.

    Your Payment Plan

    Offering a manageable payment plan is an important step to showing your willingness to address the arrears.

    How often do you want to pay?
    DD slash MM slash YYYY

    Payment plan results

    Completion time
    - weeks
    Completion date

    You are paying of your total income in rent and your payment plan

    You can trial different amounts to see how much you'll pay back and how long it will take.
    Don’t forget to take into account your other bills, groceries, travel costs and medications you might need.
    The 30% rule Did you know that if you are paying more than 30% of your income on rent, you are considered to be in 'rental stress'? If you are struggling with other debts or bills, talk to a financial counsellor. Call 1800 007 007 to speak to a financial Counsellor or find one in your local area.
    Hidden

    Great! You’re Almost Done

    Let’s check that you’re happy with the details before you finish.

    Summary of details

    • {First Name:2} {Last Name:3}
    • {Phone:71}
    • {Email:38}
    • {Street Address:5}
      {Suburb:88} {State:90} {Postcode:89}

    You are struggling to pay rent because: {Select why you are behind in rent:11}

    {Other Reason:80} {Any other reason you want to enter:13}

    You are requesting to pay back {How much you want to pay:29} per week starting from {When will you start paying this amount?:48}{summary-end-date:82}.

    You are offering a one-off upfront payment of {How much do you want to pay upfront?:20}, paid on {When will you pay this amount?:45}.

    You are requesting this payment plan on behalf of {Hidden - Behalf of just you:78}{Hidden - Behalf of co-tenants:79}.

    {Question - Co-tenants names:100:}

    Great! You’re Almost Done

    Let’s check that you’re happy with the details before you finish.

    Summary of details

    • {First Name:2} {Last Name:3}
    • {Phone:71}
    • {Email:38}
    • {Street Address:5}
      {Suburb:88} {State:90} {Postcode:89}

    You are struggling to pay rent because: {Select why you are behind in rent:11}

    {Other Reason:80} {Any other reason you want to enter:13}

    You are requesting to pay back {How much you want to pay:29} per week starting from {When will you start paying this amount?:48}{summary-end-date:82}.

    You are not offering a one-off upfront payment.

    You are requesting this payment plan on behalf of {Hidden - Behalf of just you:78}{Hidden - Behalf of co-tenants:79}.

    {Question - Co-tenants names:100:}

    Generating the letter

    You’ll be able to read and edit the letter before you send it

    You will also get some information on what happens after you send your letter to your rental provider or real estate agency.

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    COVID-19 financial support available for Victorians

    The Federal and Victorian Governments are offering a number of different types of COVID-19 financial support for Victorian individuals.

    For a rundown of the various kinds of support available during the pandemic, including the newly announced RENT RELIEF GRANT, see our What kind of COVID-19 financial support is available for Victorians?

    Last updated 10 September 2021

    What do the new rental laws mean?

    New renting laws came into effect on 29 March 2021. This means if you fall behind in rent due to COVID-19, your landlord – now referred to as a rental provider – can take steps to evict you.

    Under the new laws, there is no legal requirement for your rental provider to accept a rent reduction, unless you applied to Consumer Affairs Victoria or VCAT before 29 March 2021.

    If you have an existing rent reduction or rent deferral agreement or order made during COVID-19, use Dear Landlord to find out what this means for you.

    If you want to find out more information about the new laws, see our What do the new rental laws mean for Victorian renters?

    A guide to the eviction process

    Evictions follow a legal process. This is a step-by-step guide if you are behind in rent to help you understand your rights and how Dear Landlord can help you.

    How Dear Landlord can help

    If you are behind in rent, Dear Landlord can help you understand your options based on your circumstances, including drafting a payment plan request to your rental provider, drafting a VCAT review application, and finding further financial or legal help.