Canberra Renters Say Duplicate Listing Photos Are Hiding the True State of Their Homes

Tenants in Canberra's growth suburbs are raising the alarm about a practice they say is rampant in the local rental market: property managers and landlords reusing old or digitally altered photographs that bear little resemblance to the actual condition of a home at the time of listing. For renters already stretched by an ACT rental market where median weekly rents for three-bedroom homes have surpassed $700 in recent quarters, the financial and practical fallout can be severe.

The issue has landed with particular force in 2026, as Canberra's population keeps pushing into outer suburbs like Gungahlin, Taylor, and Belconnen, where new apartment blocks and townhouse estates are turning over tenants at pace. When a unit listed on a major property portal shows gleaming benchtops and fresh carpet, but the property hasn't been professionally cleaned or repainted since 2022, renters say they have almost no recourse before signing a lease.

What Community Members Are Experiencing

Residents contacted by The Daily Canberra described a pattern that typically unfolds the same way. A listing goes live on a major platform — Domain or realestate.com.au — with photographs that show the property in pristine condition. The inspection, if one is granted at all, is rushed. Then on move-in day, the reality diverges sharply from what was advertised. Scuff marks on walls, missing blinds, and bathroom grout that no amount of cleaning restores are common complaints. Several renters pointed to townhouses near Gungahlin Town Centre and apartment complexes along Flemington Road as places where they felt misled by listing photography.

One renter who moved into a two-bedroom unit in the Lawson suburb near the University of Canberra described spending close to $600 on professional cleaning within the first week, attempting to bring the property into the standard the listing photos implied. Another, who signed a lease on a terrace in Dickson in early 2026, said the floor plan images appeared to be from a different, newer unit entirely — same building, different fit-out. Neither person could name a clear avenue for complaint beyond the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal, known as ACAT, which processes residential tenancy disputes but requires applicants to have already attempted resolution with the agent.

The ACT Tenants' Union, based on Alinga Street in the city centre, has been fielding a higher volume of inquiries related to misleading listings since late 2025, according to publicly available information on its website. The organisation has pointed tenants toward the ACT's residential tenancy laws, which require that a property be in a reasonably clean and maintained state at the start of a tenancy — but those provisions say nothing specific about the accuracy of photographs used in advertising.

A Gap in the Rules That Nobody Has Closed

Consumer protections under Australian Consumer Law technically prohibit misleading conduct in trade and commerce, and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has previously taken action nationally against misleading real estate advertising. But applying those rules to individual rental listings is a slow and uncertain process for a tenant who needs somewhere to live next week.

Access Canberra, the ACT government's service and regulatory arm, handles complaints about real estate agents operating under ACT licences. Community members say the complaints process, while available, is not well publicised at the point where it matters — the listing itself.

For renters navigating this now, advocates suggest three practical steps. First, request a video walkthrough or an unaccompanied second inspection before signing, and document any refusal in writing. Second, use the ACAT's pre-tenancy checklist and photograph every room on move-in day, submitting the evidence to the agent within 24 hours. Third, if the property does not match advertised images in a material way, lodge a formal complaint with Access Canberra at the same time as approaching the agent — creating a paper trail from day one. The ACT Tenants' Union on Alinga Street offers a free advice line for residents unsure where to start. The window between signing a lease and taking possession is narrow, but it is the only window tenants realistically have.