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.

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Checking your Notice to Vacate

Before you draft your payment plan agreement, it’s important to check whether you think your Notice to Vacate is valid.

A Notice to Vacate must meet certain requirements, otherwise it can be considered ‘invalid’ by VCAT. If a Notice is invalid, it means that VCAT cannot make any decisions to evict you based on that Notice.

Here are reasons why a Notice to Vacate might be invalid in private rentals:

The unpaid rent listed on the Notice was significantly more than you owed at the date of the Notice
You are behind in rent because your rent was increased but you didn’t get a valid Notice of Proposed Rent Increase
The notice was not properly delivered (e.g. it was sent by post but you didn’t receive it, or it was emailed without you agreeing to receive documents electronically)
There is a mistake in the renter name/s or property address
The Notice you got was unsigned
The Notice is not in the correct form from Consumer Affairs Victoria
The termination date doesn’t give you 14 days’ notice plus the extra time for delivery (see our FAQs for required delivery times)
The notice doesn’t list the correct section (s 91ZM) or it doesn’t give enough detail about why it was issued

If you think that your Notice to Vacate might be invalid, you should speak to a lawyer. Visit our FAQs to read more about invalid notices or to find a free legal service to contact. If you think the Notice is invalid, VCAT asks you to tell them immediately.

NTV Checkbox*

I have checked my Notice to Vacate and I am happy to proceed to drafting a payment plan

Your contact details.

To begin drafting your payment plan, enter a few details about you and your situation.

First Name*

Last Name*

Email Address*

Phone*

Address*

This is the address of the rental property.

Street Address Suburb State Postcode

Feedback consent

I’m happy to be contacted by Justice Connect about feedback on Dear Landlord

Your rental details

Residential rental provider name/s (otherwise known as a landlord, the owner/s of the property)

This is not the name of your real estate agent. This should be written on your rental agreement, and there might be more than one name. If you don’t know the names of your rental provider, you can leave it blank and they can fill it in.

Do you communicate with a property manager or real estate agent?*

Yes

No

What is the name of the property manager or real estate agent?

Renters listed on the rental agreement*

Please list all renters first and last names, including yourself, separated by a comma. Only include people who are named on the rental agreement.

VCAT reference number

Your VCAT reference number can be found on correspondence from VCAT about the rent arrears. If you don’t know you can leave this blank.

How much rent do you owe?

If the rental provider is claiming you owe more than you think you owe, or if you think the Notice to Vacate is incorrect for another reason, you should speak to a lawyer. Find legal help.

Your rent and income

The next few questions will help you work out how much you can afford to repay.

How much do you pay in rent?

(Enter the total rent for your household)

How often?

Weekly

Fortnightly

Monthly

Can you tell us how much income you earn?

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?

Weekly

Fortnightly

Monthly

Your payment plan

The main way to avoid eviction is to show how you will pay back the rent you owe. This means offering a manageable payment plan. We will help you draft a payment plan in the form that VCAT requests.

How much extra do you want to pay?*

This will be paid with your regular rent payments.

When do you want to start paying this additional amount?*

Do you want to make any lump sum payments?*

As a part of your payment plan, you can offer one-off lump sum payments if you have the money available. This is completely optional.

Yes

No

Payment 1: How much do you want to pay?

Payment 1: When will you pay this amount?

Do you want to add more lump sum payments?

Yes

No

Payment 2: How much do you want to pay?

Payment 2: When will you pay this amount?

Payment 3: How much do you want to pay?

Payment 3: When will you pay this amount?

Payment 4: How much do you want to pay?

Payment 4: When will you pay this amount?

Payment plan results

Completion time:
Completion date:

Weekly total (your rent and payment plan):

This is of your income.

You can try different amounts to see how much you’ll pay back and how long it will take.

Don’t forget to consider your other bills, groceries, medical costs, and other expenses.

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.

Great! You’re almost done.

Please check you’re happy with these details before you finish.

Your contact details
{First Name:1} {Last Name:2}
{Email:29}
{Address (Street Address):13.1}, {Address (City):13.2}

Your rental details
Your rental provider: {Residential rental provider name/s (otherwise known as a landlord, the owner/s of the property):7}
Your real estate agent: {What is the name of the property manager or real estate agent?:17}
Renters on rental agreement: {Renters listed on the rental agreement:67}
VCAT reference number: {VCAT reference number:8}
You said you owe ${How much rent do you owe?:78} in rent

Your circumstances:
You struggled to pay rent because:
{Select why you are behind in rent:43}

Your payment plan:
You said your household pays {How much do you pay in rent?:44} in rent {How often?:47}.
You are requesting to pay back an extra {Regular repayment:52} {How often?:47} starting from {:54}.

You are offering a one-off payment of {Payment 1: How much do you want to pay?:57} by {Payment 1: When will you pay this amount?:58:date:d/m/Y}.

You are offering a one-off payment of {Payment 2: How much do you want to pay?:70} by {Payment 2: When will you pay this amount?:75:date:d/m/Y}.

You are offering a one-off payment of {Payment 3: How much do you want to pay?:73} by {Payment 3: When will you pay this amount?:74:date:d/m/Y}.

You are offering a one-off payment of {Payment 4: How much do you want to pay?:72} by {Payment 4: When will you pay this amount?:71:date:d/m/Y}.

Generating the payment plan

You’ll be able to read and edit the payment plan and 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.