The Victorian government has extended the ban on evictions and rental increases until the end of the year to support struggling renters and business tenants.

The eviction moratorium for residential and commercial tenancies has been extended until December 31, 2020, except in specific circumstances.

The eviction ban was previously set to expire in September but was extended due to the COVID-19 restrictions still in place in Victoria.

“Extending the ban on evictions and rental increases is an important step in ensuring we help tenants and landlords get through the coronavirus pandemic and out the other side,” said Victorian minister for consumer affairs Melissa Horne.

The impact of the eviction ban on tenants

The extension comes after the Consumer Affairs Victoria’s (CAV) advice and dispute resolution services were accessed more than 80,000 times throughout the past four months.

Almost 26,000 agreements for reduced rent have been registered with CAV, with more than 8,400 cases resolved through its residential tenancies dispute resolution scheme.

The government said these services would remain in place to support residential tenants and landlords that were struggling to agree on rent reductions.

When it comes to commercial tenancies, the Victorian Small Business Commission (VSBC) offers similar services to help business tenants and landlords find common ground.

The VSBC has received more than 7,900 rent-related enquiries from small business owners and landlords, with more than 90 per cent of cases that reached mediation resulting in an agreement.

Residential and commercial tenancy and landlord support in Victoria

Residential and commercial tenants and landlords can take advantage of more support, including additional grant funding and land tax reductions.

The rental relief grant program is supporting eligible residential tenants and landlords with rental payments of up to $3,000.

The land tax discount for eligible residential and commercial landlords has been increased to 50 per cent, up from 25 per cent previously.

Owner-occupiers of commercial properties can take advantage of a 25 per cent waiver of the property’s 2020 land tax if they were eligible as a tenant under the commercial tenancy relief scheme.

In both cases, the payment of the remaining tax can also be deferred to March 31, 2021.

Landlords who have previously applied for a 25 per cent waiver and want to apply for further land tax relief must make a new application.

There is also a $60 million hardship fund to support small commercial landlords, with payments of up to $3,000 per tenancy.

Speak to the real estate experts at LDB

If you need tenancy advice around the eviction ban or whether to sell your investment property vacant or tenanted, speak to one of our trusted real estate specialists.

You can give us a call on (03) 9875 2900 or send us a message via our contact form below.