This article is a general guide, it does not contain any legal advice. Snug has enabled the Victorian Rental Reforms and Prescribed Application within the application flow for properties based in Victoria. Please check and update your Snug settings and team practices to ensure your compliance.
Overview
The Consumer and Planning Legislation Amendment (Housing Statement Reform) Act 2025 was passed 18 March 2025 with the majority of critical reforms taking effect on 25 November 2025.
Read the act and legislative amendments below:
RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES ACT 1997
Consumer and Planning Legislation Amendment (Housing Statement Reform) Act 2025
Prescribed Application Forms
The Prescribed Application Form is the general standardised application form for a residential tenancy. A property manager/owner may use their own application form if it complies with the relevant provisions of the Act and regulations. It is the responsibility of property managers/owners to ensure their application form is compliant.
How to implement Prescribed Application Forms on Snug:
- Snug has modified the Snug flow and form to enable the prescribed application form
- Generally remove your existing Application Settings to relax any required information
- Other ways to apply - you may wish to add the Prescribed Application Form to the Application Attachments, this enables users to download a form from the Apply Start page
- Train your team about the key changes: Rent Bidding, Disclosures, Discrimination, Prohibited Data
As at 7 Nov 2025, the legislation mandates the introduction of a new, standard application form for renters, which will be compulsory for all applications. While the final "prescribed form" has not yet been released by Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV), the existing "Residential rental application (Word, 89KB)" form provided by CAV serves as the most likely template for its structure and content.
Rent Bidding
A comprehensive ban on all forms of rental bidding will be enforced. Snug will not permit properties to be advertised with a price range, and technically prevent agents from soliciting, encouraging, or, crucially, accepting unsolicited offers of rent higher than the advertised amount. This strict prohibition on accepting higher offers is a key differentiator from other jurisdictions. The Application Details Edit Summary will disable the rent adjustment above the advertised price.
Rent in Advance
Snug will enforce requesting no more than one month's rent in advance for any Victorian tenancy in the Lease Offer template and post a warning on the Edit Application Summary.
Background Checks
Renter purchased Background Checks are prohibited. Rental providers and/or agents can continue to purchase and process Background Checks.
Discrimination
The Statement of Information is included on all auto-reply to enquiries, property page and application start page automatically.
Prohibited Data
Snug will enable prohibitions on collecting certain data, including:
- an applicant's history of legal disputes with rental providers
- bond claim history
- unredacted bank statements showing daily transactions
- protected attributes under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 is also forbidden without providing a written reason eg. has a location or design that makes it unsuitable or inappropriate for children.
Minimum Standards Compliance Checklist and Disclosures
Minimum Standards are about the property. A fundamental workflow shift is the new requirement that a property must meet all 14 minimum rental standards before it can be advertised. This moves compliance from a post-tenancy issue to a pre-market gate. These standards are extensive, covering electrical safety, heating, locks, ventilation, and structural soundness etc. This necessitates a new workflow feature, such as a mandatory "Minimum Standards Compliance Checklist" that an agent must certify on Snug before a listing can be published. Snug has several options:
- Use Snug's Online Disclosure Form online > sync your PMS owner contact to automatically send the Disclosure form to the Owner for completion. This response is link attached to the enquiry, property page, application start page and the review before submit, as well as the Lease Offer!
- Upload the PDF Disclosure Form > use this method if you capture the signed form from the Owner on another document signing forms platform and upload the PDF to Snug as part of your Onlist. Properties will be flagged as [Offline].
- Property Feed setting > select the setting that automatically confirms the Minimum Standard Compliance Checklist has been received and the property is fed to Snug is compliant. You might consider this automated feature if you add the completed Minimum Standard Compliance Checklist which confirms minimum standards into your Property Management System or Uploader before sending the property to Snug.
- Disclosure Form applies to Off Market and Change of Tenancy, whenever a tenant applies.
Property Owner Disclosures
This is a list of specific facts and information that the property owner (or their agent) must tell the renter before you sign a rental agreement. The goal is to provide a renter with all the necessary information to make an informed decision. Crucially, one of the required disclosures is whether the property meets the minimum standards.
Data Deletion
Snug will expand its automated data destruction and de-identification process timelines with personal information destroyed within:
- 3 years for a successful applicant, calculated from the end of their tenancy*
- 30 days for an unsuccessful applicant
- 6 months for an unsuccessful applicant, but only if they provide explicit written consent to have their information retained for future property applications.
*initially this will be based on the lease end date from the approve application. In the future, automation may be enabled via Property Management System integration using vacate date.