Community housing regulation

Our strategic outcomes

The Housing Registrar provides regulatory oversight of Victoria’s registered community housing agencies to ensure the sector is sustainable and meets the needs of tenants.

We achieve this through three key strategic areas of focus:

1. Consistent and targeted compliance

We will focus on clear and consistent compliance practices. Our collaborative, proactive and targeted approach to compliance will ensure registered agencies remain viable and meet tenant needs.

2. Sustainable and inclusive growth

We support sustainable growth and investment in the community housing sector in Victoria. To do so, we minimise unnecessary barriers to entry and reduce regulatory burden where possible.

3. Supporting the tenant journey

Supporting the tenant journey is at the heart of what we do. We are focused on the interests of tenants, ensuring they feel heard and have appropriate avenues to resolve complaints should they arise.

Who we regulate

In Victoria, community housing agencies(opens in a new window) are registered under the Housing Act 1983(opens in a new window). All registered agencies in Victoria are not-for-profit organisations established to provide affordable rental housing to people on low incomes.

The community housing sector is diverse and registered agencies service a range of different cohorts, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, victims of family violence, older people and those at risk of homelessness.

Registered agencies provide various forms of housing. Community housing is most commonly long-term accommodation in apartments, units, or free-standing houses, but also includes crisis and transitional housing, rooming houses, and co-operative housing.

The Housing Registrar does not oversee public housing, which is provided by HousingVic. Further information or assistance for public housing tenants and applicants is available on the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing(opens in a new window) website.

National Regulatory System for Community Housing

The National Regulatory System for Community Housing(opens in a new window) (NRSCH) registers, monitors and regulates community housing providers across New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. Victoria and Western Australia are not part of the NRSCH.

Performance Standards for the Victorian and National Regulatory systems are the same, and where possible we align with the NRSCH to reduce the burden on registered agencies operating across different states.