cherry tree in public housing

what we do

Tenant Support

We are the peak body representing all people who live in public housing in Victoria, and those on the wait list (called the Victorian Housing Register or VHR).

We operate a free telephone advice service, Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm (excluding public holidays).

We can provide assistance with:

  • Communicating with your local Housing Office;
  • Assistance with maintenance requests;
  • Understanding letters and forms from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing;
  • Understanding your rights as a tenant, as well as responsibilities that you have and the Department has;
  • Understanding Departmental policies and procedures;
  • Advice about rent calculations, rebates and arrears;
  • Advice about neighbourhood disputes;
  • Referrals to other services (where we cannot assist);
  • Advice about applications for housing.

We do not provide legal advice.

Call us on 1800 015 510, email enquiries@vpta.org.au or fill in our online contact form.

Policy and Advocacy

The housing system is complex – and it’s far from perfect.

We work towards a future where every Victorian that needs a home, has one. We provide submissions to bodies of inquiry (like Senate Inquiries, Royal Commissions and State Parliamentary Inquiries) as well as to the State Budget, Local Government Housing Strategies and more.

We also provide frank advice to the Department about what processes and policies we believe need to change to make sure that people who live in public housing have access to the same rights, protections and quality of life as all other Victorians.

We regularly publish our policy submissions and general updates about public housing policy on this website.

Tenant Reference Group

Our Tenant Reference Group consists of people who live in public housing who volunteer their time to have in depth discussions with VPTA staff about life in public housing.

If you would like to know more about the Tenant Reference Group, including when we are next seeking Expressions of Interest for new members, please email enquiries@vpta.org.au.

Community Engagement

Although our office is in Melbourne – we work for all Victorians who live in public housing.

Our Community Engagement Officer is regularly on the road, meeting with service providers and tenants.

We also regularly meet with staff from local Housing Offices, to ensure that they hear the feedback that we receive about their work.

If you would like to know when we will next be in your area, get in touch by emailing enquiries@vpta.org.au.