Property managers have had plenty of regulatory reading to do this year.
Since launching in April, Kolmeo’s compliance intelligence platform Sentinel has picked up 23 legislative and regulatory developments relevant to the property and real estate sector.
Eleven relate to Australia’s new anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regime alone. Others span tenancy reform, rental property standards, privacy, bond claims, communications and professional registration.
Keeping track of an announcement is one thing. Working out what it means for an agency, when it takes effect and what needs to change operationally is another.
That pressure is already showing. Kolmeo’s State of Property Management Survey, independently analysed by Kantar, found legislative change was the number one operational challenge for property managers, cited by 43 per cent of respondents, while 32 per cent nominated compliance.
With another wave of changes already underway, here are five developments property management teams should have on their radar.
1. Victoria’s next wave of rental reforms
From 13 October, another group of Victorian rental reforms takes effect.
Rental providers and agents will need to keep records showing properties met minimum rental standards before being advertised, offered or occupied. Gas and electrical safety checks every two years will apply across all rental agreements, while rental providers will also need to notify renters in advance of a bond claim and provide supporting evidence.
The reforms follow earlier changes introduced throughout 2026, including standardised rental applications, restrictions on information collected from applicants, the Portable Rental Bond Scheme and direct bond payments to the RTBA.
For property managers, the practical challenge is making sure these obligations become part of everyday workflows rather than another set of dates and requirements individuals are expected to remember.
2. VCAT is changing what happens when a bond claim is lodged
Also from 13 October, evidence will need to be submitted at the time a bond or compensation application is lodged with VCAT.
Applications submitted without the required evidence will be rejected and cannot simply be reinstated. Evidence may include ingoing and outgoing condition reports and documentation substantiating rectification costs.
It sounds procedural, but changes like this can have an immediate operational impact. Documentation that previously might have been gathered later now needs to be ready at the point of application.
3. NSW rental applications are getting a privacy overhaul
NSW Parliament has passed new protections governing the personal information agents and landlords can collect from rental applicants.
The reforms will introduce a standardised application form, restrict unnecessary collection of personal information and establish rules around how renter data is stored and destroyed. Agents will also have to disclose when rental advertising images have been digitally altered or AI-generated in ways that could mislead prospective renters.
The laws are expected to take effect in early 2027, with penalties of up to $49,500 for corporations for privacy breaches.
For agencies, this is a reminder that compliance is increasingly extending into the way technology, data and AI are used throughout the renter journey.
4. AML/CTF has created a new compliance regime for real estate
The largest group of changes Sentinel has tracked since April relates to Australia’s expanded anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regime, accounting for 11 of the 23 developments identified.
From 1 July 2026, real estate agents joined other Tranche 2 sectors under Australia’s AML/CTF regime. AUSTRAC has been progressively releasing guidance and sector-specific information to help newly regulated businesses understand their obligations and financial-crime risks.
For agency leaders, this isn’t a single legislative update that can be read once and filed away. It introduces an ongoing compliance responsibility that needs to be understood, embedded and maintained across the business.
5. Even the way agencies send text messages has changed
Since 1 July, businesses using branded sender IDs for SMS messages have needed to register them under Australia’s new SMS Sender ID Register.
An agency sending texts under its business name rather than a standard phone number needs that sender ID registered through its telco or messaging provider. Otherwise, messages can appear as coming from “Unverified”, potentially affecting whether customers recognise or trust them.
It isn’t a property-specific reform, but that’s precisely the point. Not every regulatory change affecting a property management business will arrive neatly labelled as a property management issue.
Compliance can’t live in someone’s head
These five examples cover very different areas of running an agency, and they’re only part of what has changed over the past six months.
For property managers, the challenge isn’t simply reading 23 updates. Each one can create follow-on work: understanding whether it applies, identifying affected properties or processes, updating workflows, communicating with owners or renters and making sure the right action happens at the right time.
That’s the problem we built Sentinel to address. It continuously monitors legislative and regulatory developments across Australia and New Zealand and translates relevant changes into practical information for property management teams.
Good compliance shouldn’t depend on whether one experienced person happened to see an announcement, remembered an effective date or knew where to look.
With the pace and breadth of regulatory change facing agencies today, keeping up has become an operational discipline in its own right.
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