Can my landlord bring people through my home to sell it while I am still living there in Victoria?
Yes, your landlord can show your home to potential buyers while you live there in Victoria. However, they must give 14 days' notice of their intention to sell before the first inspection, provide 48 hours' notice before each showing, and compensate you for each inspection.
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How it works in practice
Legal Requirements for Inspections
If your landlord decides to sell the property while you are renting it in Victoria, they have the right to bring potential buyers through. However, strict rules protect your privacy and quiet enjoyment. Before any inspections can happen, the landlord must provide you with a formal 14-day "Notice of Intention to Sell."
After this initial notice period, they must give you at least 48 hours' written notice before every single inspection. The viewings must take place between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm, and they cannot be scheduled on public holidays.
Inspection Limits and Compensation
To prevent unreasonable disruption to your life, the law limits sales inspections to a maximum of two times per week. Furthermore, each viewing can last no longer than one hour.
In Victoria, you are also legally entitled to financial compensation for the inconvenience of sales inspections. For every inspection that takes place, your landlord must pay you compensation equal to half a day's rent or $30, whichever amount is greater. You do not need to clean the property to a professional standard for these viewings, only keep it in a reasonably clean condition.
Important exceptions
The primary exception occurs if you are a protected person under an intervention order or a recognized victim of family violence. In such cases, you can legally object to the property being shown to specific people or request that inspections be strictly by private appointment only, rather than open house viewings.
Additionally, you can refuse entry if the landlord or agent fails to provide the correct 48 hours' written notice, attempts to schedule an inspection on a public holiday, or exceeds the maximum limit of two sales inspections per week. You also cannot be forced to leave the property during the inspections.
What you should do now
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Request the formal 14-day Notice of Intention to Sell from your landlord or agent before allowing any viewings.
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Check that every individual inspection notice gives you at least 48 hours' written warning.
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Monitor the schedule to ensure there are no more than two sales inspections per week and neither lasts longer than one hour.
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Keep a written log of every inspection that actually takes place so you can claim your rightful compensation.
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Contact Consumer Affairs Victoria or Tenants Victoria if the landlord ignores these rules or refuses to pay your inspection compensation.
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