Consumer Affairs Attended an Open Home. Here’s What They Picked Up.

At one open home, Consumer Affairs Victoria attended the inspection like any other prospective attendee. No fanfare. No flashing lights. Just a quiet look through the property.

Within 24 hours, a breach notice was issued.

The issue was not structural. It was not dramatic. It was not the sort of thing most landlords would point to as a major problem. It was a showerhead that did not meet the required standard.

The fix cost about $30.

That is the point. Minimum standards are rarely dramatic. They are detailed. And in Victoria, those details apply before a renter ever signs a lease.

What Consumer Affairs is actually looking for

This is where many landlords, particularly overseas and interstate owners, get caught out. They assume compliance means the big-ticket items are done. Gas checked. Electrical checked. Smoke alarms sorted.

Those things matter, of course. But they are not the whole picture.

In Victoria, minimum standards and recurring safety checks sit alongside each other. They are related, but they are not the same. A property can be up to date on safety obligations and still fall short on minimum standards at an open home.

That distinction matters more than many landlords realise.

Minimum standards are not the same as safety checks

Safety checks are recurring obligations. They include matters such as gas safety checks, electrical safety checks and smoke alarm testing and maintenance.

Minimum standards are different. They relate to baseline habitability and functionality at the point of advertising and leasing.

That means a property can be fully compliant on routine safety checks and still trigger a compliance issue during an inspection campaign.

This is often where the misunderstanding begins. Landlords hear the word “compliant” and assume the property is covered from every angle. In reality, compliance has layers.

Why the showerhead mattered

Because legislation gets specific very quickly. Consumer Affairs Victoria states that “showers must have a shower head with a 3-star water efficiency rating”. If one cannot be installed due to the age of the property, a 1-star or 2-star rating may be acceptable. That sounds minor until you are the one receiving the notice.

This is the important shift in mindset. “It works” is not always the test. “It seems fine” is not the test either. The test is whether the property meets the current compliance threshold at the point of advertising and leasing. Consumer Affairs Victoria lists 15 categories of rental minimum standards, covering items such as bathrooms, kitchens, lighting, locks, mould, ventilation and window coverings. None of this is glamorous. All of it matters.

The response should be practical, not dramatic

The good news is that not every breach notice needs to become a saga.

In this case, the solution was straightforward. Replace the showerhead. Document the rectification. Confirm compliance.

Done.

No panic. No defensive argument. No overreaction.

Compliance does not require drama. It requires practicality.

That is often the difference between a well-managed property and a reactive one. Good management is not about scrambling when something goes wrong. It is about being organised enough to prevent small issues from becoming formal problems.

Why non-local landlords are more exposed

For overseas and interstate owners, the real risk is often visibility.

If you are not local, you do not physically walk through the property before an open. You may be relying on past experience, older photos, or the assumption that if the property was compliant once, it must still be compliant now.

That is not always how Victorian rental regulation works.

The rules have evolved. Enforcement is active. And details matter.

A small issue may only cost $30 to fix, but if it is picked up at the wrong time, it can create unnecessary administrative work, formal rectification timeframes, and delays to leasing.

How we approach minimum standards before an open home

Our view is simple. Open homes should be treated as formal environments. Because they are.

Before advertising, we assess the property through a compliance lens. We review it against current minimum standards. We identify even the smaller fixture issues that could be missed by an owner who is busy, interstate or overseas. Then we resolve them before the first inspection takes place.

That approach is not flashy. It is just effective.

We would much rather identify the $30 issue ourselves than have it identified at an open home.

Better to catch the detail early

Minimum standards are not about luxury. They are about baseline compliance.

In this case, it was a showerhead. Next time, it might be something more significant.

If you are not local, or you simply do not want to be left guessing, the safest approach is to have a team that checks the details properly before your property is exposed to scrutiny.

Good property management is rarely reactive. It is preventative.

Contact our team for clear, practical guidance on preparing your property for leasing and meeting Victoria’s current minimum standards.