Finding and applying for a rental property

Before you apply

Documents and information you may need to provide:

Formal identification (such as a driver’s licence)
Employment details, such as a payslip
Rental references.

The rental provider or agent cannot ask you for this information in your application:

Whether you’ve taken legal action or had a dispute with a previous rental provider.
Your bond history, including any claims you’ve made on your bond.
Detailed bank statements with daily transactions (if you need to provide a statement, you can delete transactions you think should be kept private).

Unlawful discrimination in renting

In Victoria, it’s against the law to stop somebody from renting a property because of certain personal characteristics, including:

age
carer status, family responsibilities, parental status
disability
employment
gender identity, lawful sexual activity, sexual orientation
marital status
physical features
pregnancy, breastfeeding
profession, trade or occupation (including being a sex worker)
race (including colour, nationality, ethnicity and ethnic origin)
religious belief or activity
sex.

If a rental provider asks about personal protected attributes outlined in the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (for example, ethnicity, gender identity, disability), they must provide you with a written reason for requesting this information.

The rental provider must also provide you with a statement on discrimination as part of the application form so that you are aware of your rights.

Find more information about unlawful discrimination in renting.

Important to know: Rental providers or agents can’t charge a fee to show you a property to rent.

Pricing rules for advertised rental properties

Legal requirements:

Rental properties must be advertised at a fixed amount only. For example, $475 per week.
It’s unlawful for rental providers or agents to:
- advertise a property with a price range
- ask for, or invite offers of, rent higher than the advertised price.

They can accept a higher, unprompted offer made by a prospective renter.

Seen a rental property that doesn’t look quite right?

You can make an anonymous report to our Renting Taskforce using our online form.

Since 2024, our Renting Taskforce has helped protect Victorian renters’ rights by taking action against rental providers and agents who break the law.

The taskforce investigates issues affecting the safety, security and wellbeing of renters, including:

renting out a property that doesn’t meet the rental minimum standards
false advertising
not lodging bonds with the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority or taking an excessive bond (bonds should generally be no higher than the amount of one month's rent)
re-letting a property within 6 months after using a notice to vacate claiming the property was going to be sold, demolished or converted
failure to provide a condition report
rental bidding.

Rental providers and agents who break the law may be issued with a fine or warning or other enforcement action.

Plan your budget and calculate rent payments

Our free rent calculator can help you:

work out if a rental property fits your budget over time
calculate the exact amount you owe if you move out part-way through a rent payment period
plan your housing expenses more effectively.

Use the rent calculator.

Rental application checklist

This checklist includes the key steps when applying for a rental property.

Read through and complete the rental application form.
List all people who will be living at the property.
List any pets that will be living at the property.
Include all details of your rental referees.
Provide information about your employment, such as payslips.
Include character references (if needed).
Make sure you can pay the bond (usually the same amount as one month’s rent) along with the first month’s rent. Generally, these need to be paid before you move in.
Sign your completed application form, include all required attachments and send these back to the agent or rental provider.