Aussie’s whinge about new rules for Victorian landlords spectacularly backfires: ‘Wow’

A landlord has come under criticism after raising concerns about new laws protecting tenants and ensuring rental properties meet basic living standards.

The Victorian Labor Government introduced the Consumer and Planning Legislation Amendment (Housing Statement Reform) Bill, designed to strengthen tenants’ rights.

Prime Minister Jacinta Allan and Consumer Affairs Minister Gabrielle Williams explained that the bill would deliver a series of sweeping reforms that would crack down on rental providers and dodgy rental properties.

Under the bill, landlords and their agents could face fines of more than $11,000 for individuals and $59,000 for businesses if the property they rented does not meet minimum standards.

Ms Allan said too often tenants are moving into properties that still require urgent repairs or maintenance to meet the minimum standards of a rental property.

“New tenants should be able to concentrate on where they put their sofa, without worrying about whether they have to go to VCAT because the mold in the bathroom that should have been removed after the inspection is still there,” Ms Allan said.

Rental activist Jordan van den Lamb, founder of the website s***rentals.org and known online as PurplePingers, mocked a landlord after sharing his concerns.

The landlord claimed that older properties would become too expensive to repair if they were required to meet minimum standards under the new laws.

“Property managers should check all their properties,” he posted on Facebook.

‘Holes in carpets, a fence that doesn’t work, boarded up windows and cracked concrete paths are all completely unacceptable.

‘Jacinta introduced these laws to keep the crafts working. My concern is that many older properties are simply becoming too expensive to meet the standard.

‘In suburbs like Colliingwood, Footscray and Dandenong, literally every second rental property will fail badly.

“There would be another way to sell rental properties.”

Mr Van den Lamb shared a screenshot of the landlord’s message on his X account on Saturday and mocked him for his absurd complaints.

“Next year we have to ensure that our real estate investments comply with the law and that is a bad thing,” Van den Lamb writes.

“We’re going to have to provide state-of-the-art rental properties with things like WINDOWS THAT ARE NOT CLOSED, and if I have to do that, I’m going to sell my third investment property.”

Rental activist Jordan van den Lamb (pictured) mocked a landlord after claiming it would be too expensive to bring older homes up to minimum standards under the new reforms

Social media users also criticized the landlord, with many claiming the minimum standard was an easily achievable goal to make something livable.

‘If your home is not in good condition, you cannot rent it out. Simple,” someone commented.

‘Wow! Rental that complies with the code?’ another person wrote.

‘An authority that ensures that this is the case? Could it possibly be real? Is my open air and mismatched front door code complaint?’

“Human rights are a pretty scary concept for property investors,” said a third.

A fourth adds: ‘The minimum standard should be: if the landlord would not live in it for a year as it is now, you cannot expect the tenant to do so either.’

Under the new reforms, landlords will face fines if they withhold a tenant guarantee and fail to provide photographic evidence of damaged properties, along with a receipt showing the repair costs.

Landlords will also lose the right to evict a tenant without just cause and real estate agents will be prohibited from charging potential tenants the cost of conducting a background check of their rental history.

Hidden fees and charges that exist on third-party apps used by tenants to pay their rent will also be removed.

There will also be a cap on the cost of breaking a lease, with tenants paying one week’s rent for each month remaining on their contract – and only up to a maximum of four weeks.

The Victorian Parliament will implement the reforms in phases over the next 12 months, with legislation banning unreasonable evictions coming into force this year.

Landlords still retain the power to evict a tenant if they cause damage, fail to pay rent, or if the owner wants to reoccupy the property.