VCAT & CAV explained for Victorian renters

By Anika Legal | Mon 1st June '20

If you’re a renter living in Victoria, you’ve probably heard of VCAT – they’re folks who resolve disputes between landlords and tenants.  

At Anika, we strive to provide all our clients with personalised, online legal support that is 100% free. Whether it’s getting repairs done or negotiating a payment plan to help you catch up on late rent, most of our cases result in a successful outcome – however, sometimes things don’t always go as planned. And that’s where VCAT comes in. 

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) is a tribunal (less formal than a court) that resolves legal disputes in Victoria. VCAT is different from CAV (Consumer Affairs Victoria), who is a consumer issues regulator but does not have the power that VCAT has to make decisions and rulings.

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What is the difference between VCAT and CAV (Consumer Affairs Victoria)?

Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) are the government body who give general and trusted information to renters without being in a position to 'intervene' or make decisions about who is wrong or right.

CAV has inspectors that can look at your issues, determine whether they require repair by the rental provider and produce a report that you can use to assert your rental rights. They can also handle complaints about rental providers, and provide rent increase assessments.

CAV for repairs

Generally, people go to CAV to get an 'inspection' of the repairs they need carried out. CAV then decides if a repair is urgent/non-urgent/non-existent. From there they will provide an official report which can be used as very compelling evidence for VCAT (who ultimately have the power to make more binding orders).

CAV can also provide rent increase assessments if your landlord has issued you with a Notice of Rent Increase, and you think the increase is too high.

VCAT for renters & tenants

The VCAT Residential Tenancies Division deals with matters involving:

  • Renters (tenants) and residential rental providers (landlords)
  • Rooming house operators and residents
  • The Director of Housing and public housing tenants
  • Caravan park owners and residents
  • Site tenants and site owners. 
An overview of what VCAT can and can’t help with

VCAT can help with 

VCAT can't help with

What to expect when you contact VCAT

  • Answers to your queries about whether VCAT can assist with your case or dispute
  • Information about VCAT processes
  • Guidance about appropriate forms, fees, and sources of further information
  • Assistance with application forms
  • Referral to appropriate contacts for other agencies relevant to your inquiry. 

You can visit the VCAT website for more information.

More useful resources

Anika is a free online legal service for Victorian renters. If you or someone you know could use assistance with repairs, we want to help. 

In need of more tenants information? Explore our blog for more articles.

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