Victoria’s Updated Retail Leasing Brochure Is Now Mandatory

What has changed?

The obligation to provide an information brochure is not new. Victorian retail leasing law already requires a landlord, or someone acting for the landlord, to give a prospective tenant a copy of the proposed lease and the prescribed information brochure as soon as lease negotiations begin.

What changed on 1 July 2026 was the brochure that must be provided. The updated version uses clearer language and directs prospective tenants to consider the full financial and practical effect of the proposed lease. It covers matters including:

• rent, rent increases and outgoings
• security deposits, fit-out expenses and end-of-lease make-good costs
• the permitted use of the premises and required council permits
• options to renew and the minimum five-year term rules
• the documents tenants should receive before entering into the lease
• dispute resolution through the Victorian Small Business Commission.

The brochure is also available in 14 community languages.

The brochure does not replace the disclosure statement

The information brochure and the landlord’s disclosure statement are separate documents with different purposes and timing requirements.

The updated brochure and proposed lease must be provided when negotiations begin. The prescribed disclosure statement, together with the proposed lease, must generally be provided at least 14 days before the lease is entered into.

Practical implications

Landlords and leasing agents should replace outdated brochures in their templates, leasing packs and electronic systems. They should also retain a record showing which version was provided and when. Failure to provide the current brochure may constitute an offence and expose the landlord to a fine.

Prospective tenants should use the brochure as a checklist, but should not assume that receiving it explains or alters the particular terms of their proposed lease.