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

Canberra renters are lodging formal complaints with the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal at a growing rate over a practice they describe as routine deception: landlords and property managers using outdated or mismatched photographs in rental listings, then presenting properties on move-in day that bear little resemblance to what was advertised online.

The issue has surfaced repeatedly in community forums tied to the ACT Tenants' Union over the past six months, with residents from Gungahlin town centre to the newer estates around Belconnen's Lawson suburb describing the same scenario — a glossy listing photograph showing fresh paint and modern fixtures, and a front door that opens to something considerably different.

The timing matters. Canberra's rental vacancy rate has remained stubbornly tight, sitting well below the national average for much of 2025 and into 2026. When a two-bedroom unit in Mitchell or a terrace near Dickson comes up, prospective tenants often apply within 24 hours and accept without an in-person inspection. That compressed decision window is precisely where duplicate or recycled images do the most damage.

What Residents Are Describing

Community members who spoke at a public meeting hosted by the North Gungahlin Community Council in June described a consistent pattern. One renter said she applied for a unit on Gozzard Street after seeing photographs that showed a renovated kitchen and freshly laid flooring. What she found on the day she collected the keys was peeling laminate, a stove missing one burner, and a bathroom grout that told a different story entirely. She did not want to be named for fear of affecting future tenancy applications.

Another resident, who moved into a complex near Belconnen's Lake Ginninderra Drive late last year, said the listing photos appeared to have been taken years before — possibly during an earlier tenancy or a brief refurbishment that was never completed. He lodged a complaint with Access Canberra in March, the territory government agency that handles residential tenancy matters, and said the process took nearly eight weeks to produce any written response.

The ACT Tenants' Union has flagged the duplicate image problem in submissions to the ACT Legislative Assembly's housing committee, noting that the practice is technically addressed under the Australian Consumer Law's misleading conduct provisions, but enforcement at the territory level has been inconsistent. The union's office is located on Childers Street in the city centre.

A Gap in the Rulebook

Under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (ACT), landlords are required to provide properties in a reasonable state of repair, but there is no specific clause requiring listing photographs to accurately represent conditions at the time of advertisement. That gap is what tenants and advocates say allows the practice to persist largely unchecked.

The ACT Government's latest rental reform package, introduced in 2024, tightened rules around rental bidding and minimum standards for heating and insulation, but did not address listing image accuracy. A further round of reforms is expected to go before the Assembly before the end of 2026, according to the ACT Legislative Assembly's published committee schedule.

For renters who find themselves in a property that does not match its listing, the practical advice from the ACT Tenants' Union is to document everything within the first 24 hours: photograph every room, note every discrepancy on the entry condition report, and return that report to the property manager in writing within the three-day window specified under current ACT tenancy rules. Failure to do so can make later disputes significantly harder to win at ACAT.

Access Canberra's consumer protection team can be contacted through the Service Canberra portal or in person at the Dickson Service Centre on Badham Street. Filing a formal complaint costs nothing and creates a paper trail that tenants' advocates say is essential if the matter escalates. The ACT Tenants' Union also offers free telephone advice on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.