To make sure you can continue living in your home, we will take prompt action to avoid or reduce any unpaid rent. If this occurs, we will carefully evaluate your situation and try to understand any difficulties preventing you from paying your rent. Our goal is to find solutions that suit your needs.
For instance, if you receive Centrelink Benefits, we can deduct your rent payment directly from your benefits using Centrepay. This makes it easier for you to pay your rent without any hassle.
Throughout this process we will clearly explain the legal procedures regarding unpaid rent, so you’ll have all the information necessary to make an informed decision about how to handle the debt.
After assessing your situation, we'll do everything possible to offer you different options to manage your rent arrears and avoid going to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), which could result in eviction.
Here are the alternative approaches we can consider:
If your financial circumstances have changed, we might ask for evidence of your household income to adjust your rent accordingly. This ensures that your rent aligns with your current income. Our aim is to help you resolve the rent arrears debt and reach an agreement with MCMH that supports you in repaying it. However, we may have to pursue legal action if you don’t comply with the re-payment agreement or address the debt with us directly.
If you haven't been able to reach an agreement with us or make a payment for the outstanding rent within 14 days (for residential properties) or 7 days (for rooming house occupancies), we might have to send you a Notice to Vacate. This is a formal request to end the rental agreement.
If you receive a Notice to Vacate, we encourage you to get in touch with us to discuss your situation and see if we can review and assess the rent arrears debt together. We genuinely want to find a solution that works for everyone involved.
If you still have outstanding rent after the expiry date mentioned in the notice, we may take the matter to the Victorian Residential Tenancies Tribunal (VCAT). During the VCAT hearing, they will decide whether to set up a formal repayment plan or grant an Order of Possession, which could mean having to leave the property. However, if you manage to catch up on your rent before the notice expires and owe less than 14 or 7 days rent (depending on the situation), the Notice to Vacate won't have any effect.
Keep in mind that if you receive more than four Notices to Vacate in a year due to unpaid rent, we may still go to VCAT for an Order of Possession because of recurring arrears. If an Order of Possession is granted, we have six months to either obtain a Warrant of Possession, which could lead to eviction, or let the Order expire if enough rent payments are made.
If there's a need to end a tenancy and evict a tenant due to rent arrears, we follow a specific eviction process. For more details, please visit our Evictions page. It will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of how we handle these situations.
For more information, please see our Rent and Hardship Policy.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're here to support you throughout the tenancy process.