Prescribed accommodation businesses
Accommodation businesses include:
- motels
- boarding houses, rooming houses or shared accommodation
- caravan parks.
Rooming house or shared accommodation
Before operating a rooming house or shared accommodation you must apply for, and be granted, a licence through Consumer Affairs Victoria.
The rooming house operators licensing scheme was established under the Rooming House Operators Act 2016.
Find out more on the Consumer Affairs Victoria website.
Register your business
To register your prescribed accommodation premises you need to submit a plan assessment form. This form must be accompanied by the following documents:
- A detailed floor plan showing the layout of your premises
- The proposed use of each room
- The dimension of each bedroom in metres
- The maximum number of persons that will be residing in each room
An Environmental Health Officer will review your application and attachments once received by the health department.
Application for Plan Assessment of Accommodation Premises
Transfer the registration of your business
To transfer business registration, you need to complete an:
Application to Transfer the Registration of an Accommodation Premises
The transfer is not official until Council has approved the application.
Renew your registration
We will send you a renewal notice towards the end of the year.
Building and planning permits
Depending on the type of business and the changes you may be making, you may also need other planning and building permits.
Contact Building Services or Planning Services if you have any questions.
About fees
Registration fees:
- are paid on an annual basis from 1 January – 31 December
- can be applied on a half-yearly pro-rata basis depending on when your application and payment are received
- are valid until 31 December regardless of when you apply during the year.
Make sure you pay the appropriate fee when you lodge your application, otherwise it may delay the processing.
Penalties for late payment
All registrations lapse on 31 December of each year. It is important to lodge your renewal of registration with the applicable fee before this date.
If not, your business will be trading unregistered after 1 January of the following year. It is an offence to trade unregistered and you may:
- be issued with a Penalty Infringement Notice (PIN), and
- have legal action taken against you.
PIN penalties include:
- four penalty units for individuals and ten penalty units for companies for Public Health and Wellbeing Act breaches
- ten penalty units for all parties breaching the Residential Tenancies (Caravan Parks and Movable Dwellings Registration and Standards) Regulations 2010.
Need help?
Email [email protected] and we will get back to you.
Or call our Health Services team on 9298 8000.
