Canberra Renters and Buyers Speak Out as Duplicate Listing Images Distort the Property Market

Homebuyers and renters in Canberra are raising alarms about a practice that has become increasingly common on major property platforms: the use of duplicate or outdated images in real estate listings that bear little resemblance to the actual properties being advertised. The complaints cluster around Gungahlin and Belconnen, two of the ACT's fastest-growing suburban corridors, where stock turns over quickly and demand consistently outpaces supply.

The core problem is straightforward. A landlord or agent reuses photographs from a previous tenancy — sometimes years old — to list a property that has since deteriorated, been reconfigured, or is simply a different unit in the same complex. Prospective tenants or buyers arrive at inspections to find kitchens, bathrooms or living spaces that look nothing like what was advertised online.

A Market Under Pressure Makes the Problem Worse

Canberra's rental vacancy rate has remained stubbornly tight through the first half of 2026. That pressure gives renters little leverage to walk away from an inspection without losing their place in a queue, even when a property has been misrepresented. Several residents who contacted The Daily Canberra described driving from Tuggeranong or Woden to inspect units in the Gungahlin Town Centre precinct, only to find the advertised open-plan layout was, in reality, a subdivided space with a wall installed since the photos were taken.

One Belconnen family described spending three consecutive weekends attending inspections in the Belconnen town centre area and along Emu Bank, only to cross properties off their shortlist after finding images that appeared to have been taken during a previous renovation or a different property altogether. The family, who asked not to be named, said the experience added weeks to their search at a time when their lease had already expired and they were paying week-to-week.

The ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal, known as ACAT, handles disputes between tenants and landlords under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997. Community legal services, including the Canberra Community Law centre on Macpherson Street in O'Connor, have noted an uptick in inquiries about misrepresentation in listings, though they caution that duplicate imagery alone rarely meets the threshold for a formal complaint unless it is tied to a signed agreement and demonstrable financial loss.

What Residents Are Asking For

Advocacy groups working in Canberra's housing space are pointing to existing consumer protection frameworks as the most practical avenue for relief. The Australian Consumer Law, administered federally through the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, prohibits misleading or deceptive conduct in trade and commerce — a provision that, on its face, could apply to property listings on platforms such as Domain or realestate.com.au. Whether individual renters have the resources to pursue such complaints is a different question.

ACT Shelter, the peak advocacy body for housing in the territory, has previously called for stronger disclosure requirements on property platforms. The organisation supports mandatory date-stamping of listing photographs and agent certification that images reflect the current state of a property at time of advertisement. No such requirement exists under current ACT legislation as of July 2026.

Renters who suspect a listing contains duplicate or outdated images have a few practical steps available now. The reverse image search function on Google Images can reveal whether a photo has appeared in older listings or on different addresses. Tenants Union ACT, reachable through its advice line, can help assess whether a complaint has merit before any formal lodgement. And anyone signing a lease is entitled to conduct a thorough inspection before committing — something that sounds obvious but which competitive market conditions frequently discourage.

The ACT Government's directorate responsible for fair trading oversees property agent licensing, and complaints about agent conduct can be lodged through Access Canberra. Whether that pathway translates into meaningful accountability for image recycling specifically is a question residents and advocates say they are still waiting to see answered.