Prescribed accommodation
Prescribed accommodation refers to any premises that falls into the following categories:
- hotels and motels
- hostels
- student dormitories
- holiday camps
- rooming houses
- residential accommodations
- labour hire accommodation (from February 2023)
There are some exemptions to this list, so if you are interested in starting or taking over an accommodation business, it is best to call or email Environmental Health Services on (03) 5018 8216 or health@mildura.vic.gov.au.
Renewal of Prescribed Accommodation Registration – 2023
Click here to renew your premises registration
Prescribed Accommodation regulations
When running a prescribed accommodation business, there are some regulations (Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2009) which you must comply with, as well as registering the premises. These include:
- Overcrowding - there are a permitted number of persons allowed to stay in a room depending on the size, and number of days they are staying. Specific room sizes and people permitted to stay can be obtained by contacting an Environmental Health Officer.
- General maintenance – the premises being provided for accommodation must be maintained in good working order, in a clean, sanitary and hygienic condition and in a state of good repair.
- The premises, any bedrooms and linen provided must be cleaned regularly and between the use of people accommodating the premises
- Adequate water must be supplied to all fittings and fixtures requiring water, including adequate and safe supply of drinking water.
- All waste water must be disposed of to a reticulated system, or to an
approved wastewater treatment system.
- Adequate rubbish collection and storage must be in place at the premises to prevent the build up and accumulation of rubbish, and particularly to prevent the infestation and harbourage of pests.
- An adequate number of toilet and bathing facilities must be made available for people staying at the accommodation. One toilet, one bath or shower and one wash basin must be made available for every 10 people, or fraction of that number
- The proprietor must maintain a register of the people staying at the
premises, including the name of the person, the date of their arrival and the date of their departure. This register must be kept for a minimum of 12 months.
Compliance with the regulations by all prescribed accommodation business is taken very seriously by Mildura Rural City Council, and as such, it is expected that all proprietors know and understand their responsibilities under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 and Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2009. Please take the time to make your self familiar with both of these pieces of legislation.
For any further or more specific information regarding these regulations and requirements, please contact Council’s Environmental Health Services on 03 5018 8216 or health@mildura.vic.gov.au
Labour Hire Accommodation (15 February 2023)
Labour hire accommodation means any house, building, structure, or site (including any shared facilities on a site), whether temporary or permanent, used to provide accommodation for a worker under, or in connection with, a labour hire arrangement with that worker. It applies to four or more workers.
The definition also includes examples of common labour hire situations. The new class of labour hire accommodation is designed to be used only if another class of prescribed accommodation does not apply. This means, for example, that a hostel that provides accommodation to both backpackers and labour hire workers should be registered as a hostel.
The changes mean that proprietors of labour hire accommodation will be required to:
- register their labour hire accommodation with the local council under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008
- meet cleanliness, maintenance and other standards under the Public Health and Wellbeing (Prescribed Accommodation) Regulations 2020, which intend to minimise public health risks that may arise from shared use of facilities and overcrowding.
For more information about the labour hire licensing scheme and obligations refer to the following link https://labourhireauthority.vic.gov.au
Rooming houses
A rooming house is a building in which there is one or more rooms available for occupancy on payment of rent in which the total number of people who may occupy that room or those rooms is not less than 4.
As well as being registered under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008, Rooming Houses must also comply with the Residential Tenancies (Rooming House Standards) Regulations 2012.
Consumer Affairs Victoria has released a set of Minimum Standards to help rooming house operators comply with both sets of regulations. While Council’s Environmental Health Officers are happy to help with the Public Health and Wellbeing Act and Regulations, Consumer Affairs Victoria should be contacted (http://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/contact-us) in regards to the minimum standards.