The two-bedroom townhouse at 18 Bloom Ave, Wantirna South can be leased for $560 a week.

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The Allan government has admitted a dedicated rental dispute forum announced more than a year ago in the Victorian Housing Statement won’t be up and running until 2025.

The Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria (RDRV) set out in the Statement in September 2023 has been proposed to help landlords and tenants avoid going to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) over minor clashes.

But in a progress report released by the state government late last month, it revealed that the RDRV is now expected to be “helping Victorians from 2025” — with no indication of when next year that would be.

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It comes as new PropTrack data shows Victorian tenants are paying an extra $30 a week in rent compared to a year ago.

Real Estate Institute of Victoria president Jacob Caine said implementing RDRV was particularly urgent given the caseload that VCAT was currently managing.

“It will lighten the load and mean that renters and rental providers get determinations and clarity sooner rather than later,” Mr Caine said.

The three-bedroom house at 19 Carole Ave, Chirnside Park can be leased for $665 a week.

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Tenants Victoria chief executive Jennifer Beveridge, who has been a major source of information for the state government on this proposal, said they had been able to bring important insights to the table grounded in their experiences as a voice for renters.

“We are hopeful this change will help fast track solving common rental problems,” Ms Beveridge said.

“We also do need to get the details of this key reform right and we are looking forward to the implementation of new processes as soon as practicable.”

PropTrack’s latest research shows anybody earning less than $90,000 a year and leasing a typical apartment in Melbourne is dealing with rental stress, or spending more than 30 per cent of their income on rental payments.

The city’s median rental prices increased by about $30 (5.5 per cent) in the 12 months to September, according to the property technology firm.

This four-bedroom house at 22 Commercial Rd, Ferntree Gully can be leased for $645 a week.

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A standard house and unit now cost $580 and $550 a week, respectively.

Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs recorded the biggest jump in typical weekly house cost, up by 12.5 per cent to $630pw, and a 15.8 per cent increase ($550pw) for a unit.

PropTrack economic research director Cameron Kusher said prices were rising higher along the city’s fringes because tenants simply couldn’t afford the cost of living closer to the CBD.

“With rents growing at a much faster pace than wages, inflation still high … people just don’t have the capacity to keep paying more and more for rentals,” Mr Kusher said.

But he added that they were starting to see more availability of rental stock which was helping to curtail the pace of price growth compared to last year.

Mr Kusher said in the 12 months to September 2023, Melbourne’s median rental cost had increased by 17.8 per cent.

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