Here’s another regulatory update for property managers and their clients to be aware of:
From 31 March 2026, rental providers and their agents in Victoria must use a prescribed standard form for all rental agreement applications.
This is one of several reforms reshaping the rental landscape this year, and while it may appear to be a procedural change, it has implications for rent roll transactions.
Understanding rental application reform in Victoria
Under the new rental application rules, agents cannot use their own application templates or ask prospective renters any questions they think are suitable.
The questions asked must align with the official Residential Rental Application form, and the types of information sought are now strictly limited to what is necessary to assess an applicant's suitability, confirm their identity and establish their capacity to pay the rent.
There is a defined list of questions agents and rental providers cannot ask. For example:
Applicants cannot be questioned about whether they have taken legal action or had a dispute with a rental provider, their bond history, or whether a claim has ever been made on their bond.
Agents cannot request a bank statement showing daily transactions without allowing the applicant to redact private information.
Questions relating to personal protected attributes under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010, such as ethnicity, gender identity or disability, can only be asked if the reason is provided to the applicant in writing.
When in doubt, stick to the form. The questions you can ask include:
Number of occupants who will reside in the property
Name and date of birth
Current or most recent employer
Net weekly income
Verification of identity
Rental history
Pay slips from current or recent employment
Bank statement (without transaction details)
To add to this, if your agency uses tenancy databases to check rental history, it must disclose the names of those databases to the applicant.
Why compliance matters for property managers
Asking prohibited questions or asking renters to fill out a non-compliant form is now an offence.
Beyond the legal risk, there is a practical one: non-compliant application processes create renter files which are inconsistent with current legislation, and this creates problems when a rent roll changes hands.
Rent roll acquisitions involve close scrutiny of how a business has been run. Anyone making a purchase will expect to review the quality of the tenancies, the consistency of the documentation, and the degree to which the agency has operated within its obligations.
Application files are a window into all three. If the process used to onboard renters was non-compliant, the roll may have information it was not permitted to collect, which could lead to problems when the time comes to sell.
Making rent roll exchanges easier
For buyers assessing a rent roll, the shift to a mandatory standard form is a useful one.
When all applications have been conducted using the same prescribed process, comparison becomes more straightforward. A purchaser’s due diligence team can assess the portfolio with greater confidence, knowing the application stage followed a consistent, legally compliant structure across every tenancy.
On the other hand, a rent roll where application processes vary across properties, or where files contain evidence of prohibited questions being asked, introduces uncertainty. A buyer may factor in the risk of regulatory scrutiny or the cost of remediation and use this as leverage to negotiate.
Now is the time for action
The 31 March 2026 deadline has passed, which means using the standard renter application form is a legal requirement for every new application processed.
Every renter onboarded using the recommended form is an opportunity to add to a file’s history and create a more valuable asset. By sticking to consistent, compliant applications, you and your PM team will build a paper trail and improve your potential for a more straightforward rent roll transaction when the time comes to sell.
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From 31 March 2026, rental providers and their agents in Victoria must use the prescribed standard Residential Rental Application form for all rental agreement applications. Agents can no longer use their own application templates or ask prospective renters any questions they think are suitable; the questions must align with the official form.
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Rental providers cannot question applicants about whether they have taken legal action or had a dispute with a rental provider, their bond history, or whether a claim has been made on their bond. They also cannot request a bank statement showing daily transactions without allowing the applicant to redact private information. Questions relating to personal protected attributes under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 such as ethnicity, gender identity or disability, can only be asked if the reason is provided to the applicant in writing.
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Non-compliant application processes create renter files that are inconsistent with current legislation, which causes problems when a rent roll changes hands. Purchasers scrutinise the quality of tenancies, including documentation. A rent roll where applications vary across properties, or where files show evidence of prohibited questions, introduces uncertainty. Compliant applications build a paper trail and improve the potential for a more straightforward rent roll transaction.