Wyndham City - Rooming Houses and Registered Accommodation

Rooming Houses and Registered Accommodation

Find information on the regulations, registration process, and how to report issues related to rooming houses and registered accommodation in Wyndham City.

Last updated on: 17 July 2025

In this article

Types of accommodation
Airbnb and short-stay accommodation
Rooming house standards and regulations
Anonymous complaints
Raise a request

The Wyndham Public and Environmental Health Unit will investigate complaints in relation to:

Overcrowding
Cleanliness and hygiene
Maintenance and structural issues
Unregistered premises or operator

Types of accommodation

Council has prepared the following information to help you identify the different types of registered accommodation.

Prescribed accommodation premises

Rooming house

Airbnb and short-stay accommodation

If you have a complaint about Airbnbs or short-stay accommodation, please submit the complaint directly through 'Report neighbourhood support' on the Airbnbs website.
If your complaint is not resolved, contact Wyndham City on 1300 023 411 to report your complaint.

Rooming house standards and regulations

Council's role in relation to rooming houses is to regulate and enforce planning, building and health requirements outlined in State Government legislation.
Rooming house operators must have a license, be registered with Council, and ensure the property complies with minimum standards relating to privacy, security, safety and amenity. Consumer Affairs Victoria, Victoria Police and Council each play a role in the regulation of rooming houses.
Owners must comply with laws that aim to protect public health and safety Public Health and Wellbeing (Prescribed Accommodation Regulations 2020), ensuring reasonable standards of hygiene, sanitation and maintenance. This includes meeting Council's building, planning and public health requirements.

New Prescribed Accommodation Business

To register your prescribed accommodation business, you will need to do the following:

Step 1: Check if you need a Planning Permit and/or Building Permit. Prior to making an application you need to obtain all relevant Planning and Building Permits. If a Planning or Building Permit is required, do not commence any work on the premises until you have received the required permits.

Step 2: Submit your plans for approval. You need to submit a copy of the premises' floor plan and have approval before commencing works to the premises. You need to submit the following:

a) A plan of the premises drawn to a scale of not less than 1:100 showing:

Location of fixtures, furniture and equipment such as beds, tables, cupboards
Number of occupants in each room
Floor area of each room
Proposed use of each room

b) A completed plan assessment form must be submitted and pay a fee.

Step 3: Final inspection and Accommodation Premises Application Form. Once the premises has been given final approval to open for business, the Wyndham City Environmental Health Officer will require a completed Public Health and Wellbeing Act New Registration Form and payment of fees.

Once payment has been processed, the Certificate of Registration will be posted out to you within 2 weeks.

Neighbourhood concerns

Public health

Registration, overcrowding and sanitation

Under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008, a rooming house must be registered with Council with four or more occupants.

Wyndham City Public & Environmental Health team conduct annual inspections of registered rooming houses to enforce the Public Health and Wellbeing (Prescribed Accommodation) Regulations 2020, designed to protect the health and wellbeing of the occupants.

The regulations relate to:

Number of occupants (with maximum number determined by the floor area, number of toilets and bathing facilities and length of stay)
Bedroom size (minimum floor space of 7.5 square metres for one occupant)
Toilet and bathing facilities
General cleanliness and maintenance
Rubbish collection
Pest control
Water supply

Council also responds to reports from occupants, neighbours or other agencies of unregistered or non-compliant rooming houses. If a rooming house is found to be unregistered or in breach of the Public Health and Wellbeing (Prescribed Accommodation) Regulations 2020, Council can issue a notice to the operator to rectify the issue in an appropriate timeframe. If no action is taken by the proprietor, Council has the authority to issue penalty infringement notices and initiate legal proceedings if required.

Occupant concerns

If you live in a rooming house or prescribed accommodation and you feel the standards and regulations described here have not been upheld, or if you have other concerns relating to your tenancy, you can contact Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) or Wyndham Council, depending on the nature of your concern.

CAV can provide information and advice regarding tenancy issues and disputes like bond lodgements, notice periods, rent increases, repairs or evictions.
Council can investigate matters such as overcrowding, hygiene, pests and fire safety concerns.

Anonymous complaints

Contact details are highly recommended when lodging this issue to ensure a proper investigation can be completed. It also allows Wyndham City to clarify information to ensure officers have a safe working environment.
If you do not provide contact details, any action taken by Wyndham City regarding this concern may be limited.
Personal information is not disclosed to any person without consent.

Raise a request

To report rooming or registered accommodation issues, please submit the request below.

An officer will action your request within five (5) working days. This includes contacting you to clarify the nature of the complaint, checking on any possible safety risks for Council staff and explaining the complaint process.

Registered accommodation

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