Canberra Renters Say Duplicate Property Photos Are Costing Them Time, Money and Trust

Canberra's rental market is already bruising enough without the added frustration of listings that look nothing like the actual property. Across the ACT, renters are increasingly reporting a specific problem: duplicate or outdated photographs recycled across multiple listings, sometimes for properties in entirely different streets or suburbs, leaving prospective tenants who travel across town for an inspection facing a version of the home that bears little resemblance to what they saw online.

The issue has sharpened focus in recent weeks as the ACT's rental vacancy rate remains historically tight. The ACT Rental Taskforce, established by the ACT Labor government to examine conditions for tenants, has received feedback from community members about the quality of listing information, including photographs. While the taskforce has not publicly released detailed data on image-related complaints, community advocates in Canberra's northern growth corridors say the volume of informal complaints is rising alongside rental prices.

What Renters Are Experiencing on the Ground

In Gungahlin, where new apartment blocks continue to rise along Hibberson Street and around the Town Centre light rail stop, the problem most commonly involves images lifted from a developer's original marketing suite — glossy renders or photos from a display unit — being used years later when a landlord re-lists the same property. The flooring is different. The kitchen fittings have been changed. The balcony view in the photo doesn't account for the six-storey building that went up next door in 2024.

In Belconnen, community members attending the Belconnen Community Service on Swanson Court have raised the issue through tenancy advisory sessions. Workers there have described tenants arriving at inspections in suburbs like Macquarie and Bruce, having prepared rental applications and budgeted for a property based on photos showing a fully renovated bathroom, only to find the bathroom hadn't been touched in fifteen years. The disconnect matters most when renters — many of them public servants on fixed incomes — are making rapid decisions in a market where a three-bedroom house in the inner north regularly lists above $650 per week.

The Australian Capital Territory's residential tenancy laws, under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997, do not include specific provisions requiring that listing photographs accurately reflect a property's current condition. That legislative gap is part of what advocates say makes the problem persistent. The ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which sits on Knowles Place in Civic, handles tenancy disputes but only after a lease is signed — meaning there is no formal pre-tenancy avenue for renters to challenge misleading images before they commit to an application.

A Problem That's Bigger Than One Bad Photo

The practical consequences compound quickly. Application fees — while capped under ACT law — add up when a renter submits for several properties. Taking time off work to attend inspections across Canberra's spread-out suburbs, from Tuggeranong in the south to Gungahlin in the north, costs more when the listed property turns out to be a misrepresentation. Public transport to many inspection sites is limited, meaning the cost is often a tank of petrol or a rideshare.

Advocacy groups including the Canberra Community Law centre, which operates a specialist housing and tenancy service, have called in previous submissions for stronger disclosure obligations on landlords and property managers at the point of listing. Requiring that photographs carry a date stamp, or that agents attest in writing that images reflect the property's current condition, are among the practical reforms that have been floated in community forums.

For now, tenants' best protection is practical. Before attending any inspection, ask the property manager directly when the photos were taken and whether any renovations or changes have occurred since. Cross-reference listings on multiple platforms — the same property may appear on Domain and realestate.com.au with different image sets, revealing discrepancies. If a listing on a Gungahlin or Belconnen property shows no cars, no surrounding buildings and suspiciously bright natural light, it may well be an image from a sales campaign years prior. The ACT Rental Taskforce is accepting community submissions through the Chief Minister's directorate website, and housing advocates say renters documenting their experiences now may help build the evidentiary base for legislative change before the next ACT budget cycle in 2027.