Rental providers’ (landlords’) entry rights and responsibilities
Rental providers (landlords) and their agents have the right to enter a property, but there are rules about the reasons they can enter and when they can enter.
There are also rules about what they can and can’t do when they are on the property.
Renters must let rental providers and agents enter if they are legally allowed to, and they have given the renter proper notice.
The rental provider must compensate the renters where the house is being sold and they are entering the property to hold an open inspection or show the house to a prospective buyer or lender.
Entering the property means coming onto the property as a whole. This can include the garden or outside of the property, not just the inside.
Reasons a rental provider (landlord) or agent can enter the property
A rental provider or their agent can only enter the property for one of the following reasons.
- General inspection – inspecting the property to make sure it’s in good condition (this is also sometimes called a routine inspection).
- Repairs or other legal responsibilities – making repairs or doing something else the law says the rental provider must do.
- Showing the property to renters, buyers or lenders – showing the property to people who might want to rent or buy it in the future or to people who might lend the owner money based on the property’s value.
- Having the property valued – showing the property to a professional valuer or real estate agent.
- Taking photos or videos – taking photos or making videos to advertise the property.
- Renter has not met their obligations – having reasonable grounds to believe the renter has broken their legal obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act or their rental agreement (for example, the renter has damaged the property).
- Family violence proceedings in VCAT – inspecting the property for VCAT proceedings if a renter has applied to end or change the rental agreement because of family violence).
There are rules about how much notice a renter must be given for each of these reasons. There are also specific rules about what must happen during entry for some of these reasons.