VCAT makes significant progress in residential tenancy backlog

25 July 2024

Following the announcement of VCAT’s refresh of the Backlog Recovery Program (BRP) in October 2023, the Tribunal has made significant headway towards our goal of clearing the residential tenancy backlog by the end of 2024.

In the 2023/24 financial year, the BRP experienced significant success and has met its targets of pending caseload reductions ahead of schedule. As of 30 June 2024, the total number of pending cases within the backlog was fewer than 4000 cases, from an original total of approximately 21,500. In 2023/24, the average duration of a case within the Residential Tenancies List was seven weeks. We have made a concerted effort to tackle bond and compensation matters, which were facing substantial delays. As of 30 June 2024, the time from initiating to hearing for these cases has dropped by 80%

The backlog program was initially established on 1 December 2021 and was successful in stablising the number of pending cases and bringing the clearance rate to 99 per cent. A refresh of the program was undertaken from 1 October 2023 to expand its capabilities and clear the backlog of cases within the Residential Tenancies Division.

In December 2023 and January 2024, VCAT appointed new members, many of whom began working on the Residential Tenancies List. Additional funding has allowed the BRP to greatly increase the registry workforce, allowing staff to more comprehensively prepare parties for hearings and maximise the efficiency of hearing time. The program has focused on tailored case management activities and utilising alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation, where possible.

VCAT understands the impact that long wait times have on our users and on the Victorian community. Our efforts in this program have allowed us to hear and resolve the disputes of thousands of people, and we will continue to be able to clear cases more efficiently moving forward.