COVID-19 | Victoria extends rental eviction moratorium

Rental Eviction Moratorium Extended – 31 December 2020

In response to the second COVID-19 wave in Victoria, the Victorian Government announced on 20 August 2020 that the rental eviction moratorium under the COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) Act 2020 (Vic) (Covid-19 Act) would be extended until 31 December 2020.

The moratorium protects both residential and commercial tenants suffering financial distress because of the pandemic, and was originally due to expire on 29 September 2020.

Owner-occupied Evictions

The Victorian Sheriff’s Office has advised that they are currently deferring executing all warrants of possessions until 13 September 2020. That being the current date the Victorian Government has flagged for the end of Stage 4 restrictions.

The Sheriff’s Office has further advised that it will review its position on 13 September 2020 regarding evictions and will provide an update after that date.

Those evictions relate to owner-occupied properties as well as some rental properties where the COVID-19 Act has provided limited circumstances in which a tenancy agreement can be terminated.

For details of all our COVID-19 tips and updates, visit the Gadens COVID-19 Hub.

Authored by:

Sonia Apikian, Partner
Jana Stackhouse, Lawyer