I rent a place in Gippsland, it’s $310pw which cheap for the area but not cheap given the condition of the place. It also happens to be nearly half of my disability pension so moving to a more expensive place isn’t really an option. 

I’ve been here since July 2024 but last winter it got terrible mould in both bedrooms (photo is of an exterior facing wall where a set of drawers had been, right near my bed in July 2025) and mould plus mushrooms in the laundry. I got moisture absorbers, stopped drying laundry inside, pulled furniture away from walls etc etc to reduce the moisture issue and then I cleaned everything with proper mould cleaner. I also sent photos to my REA (who I’m rather lucky to say have always been good to me) and they got a mould inspection report done. I haven’t actually seen the report but I know that two of the recommendations were replacing some windows that weren’t properly weatherproofed and fixing the wall and roof vents which had been clogged over the years, because they did send tradies around to give estimates for these jobs. By the time we got the report and the estimates back the weather was warming up and the moisture issues had reduced so I said that the repairs weren’t a rush anymore as long as these things were fixed by next winter - because I understood that he may need to save up for such big jobs and he’s been good to me in the past. Well next winter is here and I’m starting to see some moisture on the walls again but of course nothing has been done by the landlord to prevent mould taking root again. 

But two things *have* happened in the last two weeks - 1) the landlord requested a property valuation, and the REA aren’t sure if it’s because he wants to sell or is renegotiating a loan or for something else like to try and increase my rent. And 2) the REA have sent me a letter offering a new 12month lease when my most recent one runs out in July. And I don’t quite know what to do. I responded to the REA saying that I’d be interested in signing another lease but only if the landlord isn’t selling and commits to doing the necessary repairs soon. I told them my priority was the bedrooms so getting the vents fixed was most important and replacing the laundry and bathroom windows could wait if needed. But it’s been a week and I haven’t heard back. 

So I need advice, do I sign a lease for another 12 months before I kick up a fuss about the repairs because that will give me more protections? Or do I not sign a new lease because there’s the possibility I’m going to have to move if nothing is done or the owner sells? The REA said that if he sells they’ll try and find an investor buyer happy to have a long term good tenant, but obviously I’m aware that’s pretty unlikely. If someone buys this place it’ll be to knock down this 60s ex-commission house that’s already falling down and they’ll likely build three or four units on the block. 

So anyway, I’m feeling a bit stuck because even if I find a new place for a similar price (and they do *occasionally* pop up) the actual moving process is expensive, but if I don’t move I’ll need to kick up a fuss about getting repairs done because I’m not going to live in a mouldy bedroom for another winter and I’d really rather not get labelled as a difficult tenant. 

So tell me, what would you do? 

Advice about mould in VIC rental