Heating and the rental minimum standards in a Ballarat winter
Victoria's rental standards require a fixed heater in the main living area. What a pre-listing check looks at in a cold Ballarat rental, plus draughts and doors.
In short: Few Victorian towns test the heating standard like Ballarat. A tenant will notice a missing or failed heater within the first week of winter.
The heating standard
Schedule 4 of the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021 requires a fixed heater in good working order in the main living area. Portable heaters do not count.
Why it is felt here
Winter nights near freezing are routine in Ballarat, and frost and fog are common. A rental without fixed heating, or with a unit that no longer works, is a complaint waiting to happen.
What we check
We record whether a fixed heater is installed in the main living area and its type. Running and servicing gas or electrical appliances is for a licensed technician, and we say so.
Doors and draughts
Doors that stick, will not latch or have damaged hardware fail the locks standard and let cold air in. They are cheap to fix before a tenant moves in.
Signs of movement
Cracks from window corners and sticking doors can point to movement in older houses. Structural soundness is one of the 15 standards, so we note what we see.
Before you advertise
Since 25 November 2025 a rental home must meet the standards when it is advertised or offered for rent, not just at the start of a lease.
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Ballarat. Licensed building practitioners, Building & Plumbing Commission registration CDB-U 53425.
