How to communicate with VCAT and other parties

If you need to talk to VCAT about a case, contact us. Do not contact a VCAT member directly about any aspect of a case.

You must show respect when you communicate with VCAT and the other parties.

Information to include in emails or letters

• Address your letter or email to the Principal Registrar.
• Quote your VCAT reference number. This helps us keep all your correspondence and documents together. We include your reference number on any correspondence about the case.
• If we have scheduled a hearing, mediation or compulsory conference, include the date in your communication.

If you write to us by email you don’t need to send us a printed copy as well.

How to send photographs, data and other documents

It’s best to post hard copies of witness statements and documents that contain photographs, data, scale plans and information in colour. These documents may be difficult to read in an email.

If you’ve emailed this kind of detailed information, send us and the other parties the originals or good quality colour copies by mail as soon as possible after you send the email.

Goods and services claims

For goods and services claims lodged on or after 6 December 2023, you can upload photographs, data and other documents to your myVCAT account if you have one. 

• If any other party does have a myVCAT account, they will automatically receive a copy of the documents you upload. You do not need to provide any other copies of the documents to them unless you are asked to do so by VCAT.
• If any other party does not have a myVCAT account, you must provide copies of your application and supporting documents to them by post, in person, or by email. 

How to send documents when the other party is a business or company

Individuals - Send documents to their postal address or email.

Individual trading as a business (sole traders) - Send documents to their email or address shown in the ASIC Business Name Extract.

Companies - Send documents to their email or the registered postal address as shown on the ASIC Current Company Extract.

The registered address may be different to the company's principal place of business address or any address shown on the company's letterhead.

Incorporated associations - Send documents to their email or the address shown on the Incorporated Association Extract.

Tell us if your contact details change

If you move or your contact details change while you have an active case at VCAT, you must tell us and all other parties in writing. This includes any changes to your mailing address, phone number or email address.

If your case is about guardianship and administration, powers of attorney, medical treatment or an advance care directive, you can tell us about changes to your contact details by phone. Call 1300 01 8228.

Send copies to other parties

When you write to VCAT about a case, the other parties in the case must also receive the same correspondence. You must tell us you have done this.

If you disadvantage a party by not giving them a copy of correspondence, it may delay the case and we may make an order or award costs against you.

You can send copies of your application and other correspondence to parties by:

• email – if you’ve emailed them before applying to VCAT, or if they’ve given us their email address
• by post
• in person.

Tips for organising documents for residential tenancy cases

If you're part of a residential tenancy case at VCAT, it's important to organise the documents you plan to use. If you don't, the hearing may be delayed.

Hearings only run for a limited time and the VCAT members and all parties need to know what document you're referring to when you give evidence. 

• Sort your documents - arrange them so documents about the same issue are together
• Number each document so everyone can refer to the right one
• If you are sending photos, identify the date each was taken and the room in the rented premises it was taken in
• Prepare a cover page listing the documents you are submitting so that everyone can check that they have all the documents for the hearing.

If you send your documents by more than one email, number the emails. For example:

R2020/12345 Hearing 30 June 2020 at 2:00pm - Email 1 of 3

R2020/12345 Hearing 30 June 2020 at 2:00pm - Email 2 of 3

R2020/12345 Hearing 30 June 2020 at 2:00pm - Email 3 of 3

Tell us if your contact details change

If you move or your contact details change while you have an active case at VCAT, you must tell us and all other parties in writing. This includes any changes to your mailing address, phone number or email address.

If your case is about guardianship and administration, powers of attorney, medical treatment or an advance care directive, you can tell us about changes to your contact details by phone. Call 1300 01 8228.