Your rental provider (landlord) must ensure the property meets minimum standards on or before the day you move in.
Minimum standards fall into 14 categories. Check these off the list below before you sign a rental agreement or request urgent repairs if you’re already living in the property.
Bathroom - Electrical safety
- Heating
- Kitchen
- Laundry
- Lighting
- Locks
- Mould and damp
- Structural soundness
- Toilets
- Ventilation
- Vermin-proof bins
- Window coverings
- Windows
Note: the minimum standards on this checklist are listed in alphabetical order and are a summarised version. For further details on the minimum standards, see Rental Properties: minimum standards.
Bathroom
A property’s bathroom must have a sink, a shower or bath, and hot and cold water.
Showers must have a shower head with a 3-star water efficiency rating. If a rental provider can’t install one – for example, because of the property’s age – a shower head with a 1- or 2-star rating is acceptable.
Electrical safety
Rental properties must have modern switchboards with circuit breakers and electrical safety switches. Rental providers must hire an electrician to check this.
Heating
There must be a fixed heater in the main living area that’s in good working order. For rental agreements from March 2023, this heater should be energy efficient. If an existing heater isn’t energy efficient, the rental provider must upgrade it. Download our guide for more information: Minimum rental standards for heating - Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021.
Kitchen
The property must have a kitchen with:
- a dedicated cooking and food preparation area
- a sink in good working order connected to a reasonable supply of hot and cold water
- a stovetop in good working order that has two or more burners.
If there’s an oven, it must be in good working order.
Laundry
If there is a laundry on the property, the rental provider must ensure it’s connected to a reasonable supply of hot and cold water.
Lighting
Interior rooms, corridors and hallways must have access to working lights. The property must have natural light during the day. This can include light coming from other rooms. At night, there should be access to artificial light.
Locks
External entry doors (other than screen doors) must have functional deadlocks or locks that people can unlock with a key from the outside. You must also be able to open the door without a key from the inside.
Mould and damp
All rooms must be free from mould and damp caused by or related to the building structure.
Structural soundness
The property must be structurally sound and weatherproof.
Toilets
The toilet must be in good working order and connected to a sewerage or septic system.
The toilet must be in a separate room, either by itself or in an appropriate room like a bathroom or a combined bathroom–laundry.
Ventilation
All rooms must have adequate ventilation, including the bathroom, shower, toilet and laundry.
Vermin proof bins
Rental providers must supply the renter with rubbish and recycling bins. Bins must be vermin-proof and meet council collection standards.
Window coverings
The property must have curtains or blinds in rooms used for living or sleeping. They must open and close, block light and maintain privacy.
Make them safer by installing a curtain and blind safety kit. You don’t need your rental provider’s permission to do so. You can order a free kit from us or buy one from a hardware store.
Windows
All external windows that people can open must have latches. The latches must secure the windows against outside entry.
If the property doesn’t meet minimum standards
You should inspect a property to ensure it meets minimum standards before you sign a rental agreement. If it doesn’t, you can ask the rental provider to make repairs before signing the agreement or moving in.
If you’ve signed the agreement but haven’t moved in, you can:
- end the rental agreement, or
- move in and request an urgent repair.
For more information, view Renters' rights when minimum standards are not met.
If a property falls below minimum standards during a rental agreement, you can request urgent repairs.