Rental minimum standards inspections in Victoria, recorded on your phone.
How does PropertySurvey Pro help with the records? From 13 October 2026, rental providers (landlords) and their agents in Victoria must keep records showing a property met the rental minimum standards when it was advertised or offered, and before the renter moved in, and give them to Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) if asked. PropertySurvey Pro lets you inspect each of the 15 standards room by room, with photos and notes, and builds a PDF report on your phone, even with no signal. Run one inspection before the listing goes live and a follow-up visit before move-in day. The app records the evidence; the rental provider remains responsible for the property, and CAV decides whether records are sufficient.
iOS and Android. Genuinely free to start. Upgrade to Pro when you're ready.
What rental providers and agents must record from 13 October 2026
The Consumer Legislation Amendment Act 2025 adds sections 65C to 65F to the Residential Tenancies Act 1997, and any of its provisions not already in operation start on 13 October 2026. The law asks about two moments, and the records have to answer both. It does not list document types: the Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria may publish guidance on what is sufficient in the Government Gazette and on the CAV website, so check for it.
| Moment | What the Act requires | Record to make in the app |
|---|---|---|
| When you advertise or offer the property | The rental provider or agent must reasonably believe, at that time, that the property meets the rental minimum standards (s 65B, since 25 November 2025). From 13 October 2026 the rental provider or agent must also keep records sufficient to show that (s 65E). | A pre-listing inspection of all 15 standards, finished before the advertisement goes live. |
| On or before move-in day | The rental provider must make sure the property meets the standards on or before the day the renter moves in (s 65A), and from 13 October 2026 keep records sufficient to show that (s 65C). | A follow-up visit on or before move-in day, naming the earlier inspection. |
| When the Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria asks | Produce the records as soon as practicable, in the manner the Director specifies (ss 65D and 65F). Maximum penalty: 150 penalty units, or 750 for a company. | The PDF reports, shared from your phone, filed with the advertisement and your other papers. |
The full duties, the penalties in dollars, the 15 standards in detail and the gas and electrical safety checks are in our guide to Victoria’s rental minimum standards records.
How a rental minimum standards inspection works in the app
1.Set up the inspection
Start a General Inspection and enter the property address, the rental provider (the app calls it Landlord) and, at move-in, the renter (Tenant). Under Report Type / Title, add your own title such as MINIMUM STANDARDS INSPECTION. The app keeps custom titles, so the next property takes one tap.
2.Walk the 15 standards, room by room
Add rooms and outside areas from the suggestions or with your own names, such as Switchboard. In each one, take photos, type or dictate what you tested in Observations, and put anything that fails under Maintenance Required. Add a caption to any photo to say which standard it shows.
3.Fix, then record the finished work
Anything that fails is repaired before the property is advertised. Photograph the finished work, and the invoice or certificate if you want it in the report, before you make the final PDF. Keep the original paperwork too.
4.Make the PDF before the listing goes live
Open the report and tap Share. The app builds the PDF on your phone, with no signal needed, showing the survey date, report date and reference. Save it with a copy of the advertisement and its date.
5.Recheck on or before move-in day
Tap Start follow-up visit on the finished inspection. Rooms, areas and wording carry across; photos, ratings and notes start empty. The reference gains -V2 and the PDF names the earlier visit. With Pro, the report also shows what changed, with before and after photos.
Your rental minimum standards checklist, as rooms and areas
You build the checklist from the app’s rooms and outside areas, using its suggested names or your own, and keep CAV’s checklist beside you. The left-hand column is CAV’s 15 categories; the other two are our suggestion for where to record each one and what to photograph, not an official list.
| Standard | Record it in | Capture |
|---|---|---|
| Bathroom | Bathroom, En-suite | Basin, shower or bath and shower head; note that hot and cold water ran |
| Electrical safety | Meter Cupboard, or your own area named Switchboard | The switchboard and its safety switches |
| Heating | Living Room | The fixed heater and its rating label |
| Kitchen | Kitchen | Food preparation area, sink, cooktop burners and any oven, each tested |
| Laundry | Utility Room, or your own area named Laundry | Taps; note that hot and cold water ran |
| Lighting | Every room | Note that each light worked |
| Locks | Windows and Doors, or your own area named Entry doors | The lock on each external entry door |
| Mould and damp | Every room | Walls and ceilings, with close-ups of any marks |
| Structural soundness | Front, Rear and Side Elevations; Roof / Chimney Stacks | Each elevation and the roof where visible |
| Toilets | Bathroom, or your own room named Toilet | The toilet; note that it flushed and did not leak |
| Ventilation | Every habitable room, bathroom, toilet and laundry | Openable windows and exhaust fans; note that fans ran |
| Vermin-proof bins | Bin Store / Refuse Area | The rubbish bin and the recycling bin |
| Windows | Every room | Latches; note that each window opened and latched |
| Window coverings | Bedrooms and living areas | Each curtain or blind, closed |
| Window covering anchors | Every room with corded blinds or curtains | The anchor or cleat securing each cord |
Where a standard allows an exception, such as an energy efficient heater that would be unreasonable to install in some apartments, or a heritage exemption, photograph the evidence into the inspection and keep the original with your records. Pro users can also set the Scope, Methodology or Important Notes wording that every new General Inspection starts with, so each report explains what was checked in the same words.
What goes in each report, free and Pro
| For the records | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| General Inspection with suggested and custom rooms and outside areas | Included | Included |
| Photos with captions, condition ratings, notes and voice dictation | Included | Included |
| PDF built on the phone, offline, with survey date, report date and reference | Included, with a small app footer | Included, with your logo and no app footer |
| Follow-up visit naming the previous visit’s date and reference | Included | Included |
| Changes since last visit, with before and after photos | Not included | Included |
| Capture time printed on each photo in the report | Not included | Included |
| Your signature on the report | Upload a picture of it | Draw it on screen, or upload |
| Storage | Up to 25 surveys on the device | Up to 5,000, backed up to the cloud and synced between devices |
With Pro, the time printed on each photo comes from the photo’s own capture date (EXIF), or the time it was added to the survey when that is missing. The survey and report dates are the dates you enter. See pricing and voice dictation.
Giving the records to Consumer Affairs Victoria
If the Director asks, the Act says to produce the records as soon as practicable and in the manner the Director specifies. Follow what CAV asks for. From the app, that usually means sending PDFs you already have:
- Share from the phone: the Share button builds the PDF and opens your phone’s share options, such as email or a files app.
- Keep a copy outside the app: file each property’s PDFs by letting, next to the dated advertisement. The free plan stores up to 25 surveys on the device; Pro backs them up to the cloud and syncs them between your devices.
- Keep the papers the app does not replace: the condition report in the prescribed form, the latest gas and electrical safety check records, repair invoices and any exemption evidence.
For rental providers, property managers and inspectors
Rental providers
Managing your own rental? Inspect it before you list it and again before the keys change hands, and keep both reports with the advertisement.
Property managers and agents
The advertising records duty applies to agents too (s 65E). Give every manager the same set of rooms, areas and report title for each listing.
Independent inspectors
Offering minimum standards checks? Your company details go on every report. With Pro, add your logo and remove the app footer.
What the app does not do
- It does not decide whether a property meets a standard, or whether your records are sufficient. The rental provider remains responsible, and CAV decides.
- It does not produce the Victorian condition report. Under section 35(1B) of the Act, the condition report must be in the prescribed form; use the app’s photos and report alongside it.
- It does not replace the electrical safety check, or the gas safety check where the property has gas, which a licensed or registered electrician or gasfitter carries out every 2 years.
Inspect your next rental before it is advertised
Genuinely free to start: offline inspections, follow-up visits and PDF reports with a small app footer. Upgrade to Pro when you're ready for photo timestamps, your own branding and cloud backup.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do a rental minimum standards inspection in Victoria with PropertySurvey Pro?
Yes. Start a General Inspection, add the rooms and outside areas where each of the 15 standards applies, and record photos, condition ratings and notes for each one. The app builds a PDF report on your phone, with the survey date, report date and reference, and works without a signal.
Does the app include the CAV rental minimum standards checklist?
No. You set up the checklist yourself as rooms and outside areas, using the app’s suggested names or your own, and keep Consumer Affairs Victoria’s checklist beside you. The table on this page suggests where each of the 15 standards can go.
Does PropertySurvey Pro make a rental property compliant?
No. The app records evidence: photos, notes and a PDF report. The rental provider remains responsible for the property meeting the minimum standards, licensed tradespeople carry out the gas and electrical safety checks, and Consumer Affairs Victoria decides whether records are sufficient.
Is the PDF the condition report I give the renter?
No. Under section 35 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997, the condition report must be in the prescribed form and given to the renter before they move in. Use the app’s inspection report and photos alongside it, as your own record of the minimum standards.
How do I show the property still met the standards on move-in day?
Open the finished pre-listing inspection and tap Start follow-up visit. The app copies the property, rooms, outside areas and report wording, and starts the photos, ratings and notes empty, so you record the property as it is that day. The PDF names the previous visit’s date and reference. With Pro, the report adds a Changes since last visit section with before and after photos.
Will the same photos help with bond claims?
They can. From 13 October 2026 a rental provider or agent must give each renter bond claim evidence at least 3 days before claiming the bond, and a photograph is one of the listed types. The evidence must not conflict with a statement in the condition report.
What is free, and what needs Pro?
Free covers the whole inspection: rooms and areas, photos with captions, ratings, notes, voice dictation, follow-up visits and PDF reports with a small app footer, with up to 25 surveys stored on the device. Pro adds the capture time printed on each photo, the Changes since last visit section, drawing your signature on screen, your own logo and styling, and cloud backup and sync.