onlytherent

Victoria

Victoria goes furthest: a fee-free method must be available, rent-processing and direct-debit fees are prohibited, and a third-party platform must not charge a fee for rent payment.

What the law requires

If you pay rent or apply for a rental property through a third-party platform, the business running that platform must not charge you a fee.

Regulator guidanceConsumer Affairs Victoria · Rent payments and rent in advance

A residential rental provider or that person’s agent must ensure that a rent payment method that incurs no additional costs (other than bank fees or account fees payable on the renter’s bank account) is reasonably available to the renter.

LegislationResidential Tenancies Act 1997 (Vic), s 42(4) - penalty up to 400 penalty units for a body corporate · authorised PDF

Victoria therefore has both things: a fee-free method that must be reasonably available, and a prohibition on platforms charging for payment.

A person carrying on a business … must not demand or receive a fee for any prescribed matter in relation to an application to enter into a residential rental agreement or the payment of rent.

LegislationResidential Tenancies Act 1997 (Vic), s 51A(1) - penalty up to 400 penalty units for a body corporate · authorised PDF

The s 51A prohibition applies to a business other than the rental provider, the provider’s agent, or an authorised deposit-taking institution - that is, to third-party platforms. Those carve-outs identify who may levy such a fee, not who may be charged one: a platform is not permitted to charge the agent instead.

The wording is instructive. Where the Act means to protect renters specifically it says so - s 51(3) below prohibits demanding or receiving a charge “from a renter”. Section 51A(1) omits that limitation, so it applies to the fee being charged at all, not only to fees charged to the renter.

The regulations spell out exactly what may not be charged for. From 31 March 2026, the prescribed matters are:

(a) background checks; (b) tenancy or rental agreement history checks; (c) credit checks; (d) tenancy or rental agreement database checks; (e) identity verification; (f) administrative costs; (g) failed payments; (h) an application to enter into a residential rental agreement; (i) rent payment (other than payment surcharge fees permitted under any other Act).

LegislationResidential Tenancies Regulations 2021 (Vic), reg 21C(2) · authorised PDF

So a platform fee for paying rent is squarely caught - as are “administrative costs” and “failed payments”, which is where dishonour fees sit.

What cannot be charged

Fees for processing rent, for establishing or using direct debit, and late-payment fees are prohibited. The Act also prohibits charges for the facilities used to pay rent:

A person must not demand or receive from a renter a charge or indemnity for a charge in relation to— (a) the first issue of a rent payment card under a residential rental agreement; or (b) the establishment or use of direct debit facilities or any other electronic payment facility for payment of rent under a residential rental agreement.

LegislationResidential Tenancies Act 1997 (Vic), s 51(3) - penalty 60 penalty units

What about inconvenient alternatives?

Victoria’s government expressly identified the problem: nominally free options made deliberately awkward. That statement is the clearest official recognition of the practice this site addresses - and s 42(4) puts the “reasonably available” standard into the statute itself.

Pay what you owe – nothing more

… often this is made highly inconvenient for the renter.

Policy statementVictorian Government (30 October 2024) · More Rights Mean More Respect For Every Renter

Relevant legislation and guidance

How to dispute it

Start with the written request. If that fails, contact Consumer Affairs Victoria on 1300 55 81 81, and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

Unresolved questions