Accommodation businesses

Under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (The Act) and Public Health and Wellbeing (Prescribed Accommodation) Regulations 2020 (The Regulations), any business operating one or more of the following types of prescribed accommodation, must be registered with Council's Environmental Health Unit.

Depending on your proposal, a review by the Building Services and Planning team may also be required. 

  • hotels and motels
  • hostels
  • student dormitories
  • holiday camps
  • residential accommodation
  • labour hire accommodation

Prescribed accommodation providers are required to meet hygiene, maintenance and other standards and requirements to minimise public health risk that may arise from shared use of facilities, high turnover of occupants and/or overcrowding.

The objective of the regulations is to set out the standards necessary to minimise the public health risks associated with prescribed accommodation.

If you plan to start a new business, you must register it with Council before trading.
If you take over an existing business, you must transfer the registration before trading.

Business Concierge

To begin the business registration process, complete and submit the Business Permit Checklist via our Business Permit Enquiry Process. Business Concierge is applicable to both new and existing businesses.

For all rooming house enquiries please refer below for permit information and application requirements.

Business Permit Enquiry Process

This checklist allows your proposal to be assessed by the relevant departments – Planning, Building, and Health. Each department will review your submission and provide feedback or requirements specific to their area. 

Rooming House

Under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (The Act) and Public Health and Wellbeing (Prescribed Accommodation) Regulations 2020 (The Regulations), if you operate a rooming house, then your business must be registered with Council's Environmental Health Unit. 

A Building Permit will be required and depending on the nature and scale of the proposal, assessment and approval by the Planning team may also be required.

A rooming house is a building where four or more people can live in rented rooms, some of which might be shared. Rooming houses must be registered with the local council.  Please refer to the registration process for Prescribed Accommodation as it is the same process under The Act and The Regulations but with additional requirements under Consumer Affairs. Please visit Consumer Affairs Victoria for more information: Rooming house - minimum standards - Consumer Affairs Victoria. 

Rooming House Process 

Planning

Under the Melton Planning Scheme, a planning permit may or may not be required for the use and development of a rooming house. This is dependent on the use meeting the relevant exemptions at Clause 52.23 of the Melton Planning Scheme.   

Should you wish to obtain confirmation from Council that a permit is not required for the proposed rooming house, you are required to lodge an Application for Information on Planning Controls (AIPC) through Council’s community portal. 

Building

A Building Permit is required for the construction of a rooming house or the conversion of an existing building to a rooming house regardless of the number of occupants. A building permit can be issued by a Private Registered Building Surveyor in accordance with the Building Act 1993, for a change of use to a BCA Classification 1b – Rooming House.

You will need to engage your own Private Registered Building Surveyor who will advise what is required in order to assess your application and issue you with a building permit.   

You will not be able to commence work in relation to the change of use, until you have a Building Permit issued by your Private Registered Building Surveyor. 

Environmental Health

Prior to commencing operation, all rooming houses must be registered with Council under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (PHWB Act).  

To register your premises, you will be required to:  

  • complete a rooming house registration application form  
  • pay the applicable registration fees  
  • submit all required supporting documentation 
  • undergo a registration inspection by an Environmental Health Officer  

However, before the Environmental Health Department can provide you with the registration application form, you must first obtain clearance from Council’s Building and Planning Departments.

Once you have obtained clearance from both the Building and Planning Departments, please contact our Environmental Health Department by emailing Health@melton.vic.gov.au.

Important: Please ensure you do not commence trading until your premises has been formally registered. Operating an unregistered rooming house is an offence under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 and may result in enforcement action.  

Existing Businesses

Transfer of Prescribed Accommodation Business

If you are purchasing an existing prescribed accommodation business, you must complete the Application to transfer the Registration form once settlement has occurred.

Pre-Inspection and Report

If you are purchasing an established prescribed accommodation business, then you have an option to request an inspection prior to settlement. After the inspection the applicant will receive a comprehensive report detailing any issues that do not meet regulatory standards.  

Any outstanding issues once settlement has occurred become the responsibility of the new proprietor. 

Please note: Applicant will need the current owner's permission to request the inspection. 

Registration Renewal 

Registrations are renewed annually and must be paid by 31 December each year. 

We’ll send renewal reminders and your annual renewal form to the email address supplied in your application for registration.  

If you need more information, please contact our Environmental Health team on 03 9747 7200.

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