Victorian Hotel Lost Property Law: ACL & Fair Trading Act 2012
Published September 2026 • 4 min read • Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 2012 (Vic), Part 4.2
How long must a hotel keep lost property in Victoria?
Victoria's Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 2012 (Part 4.2) doesn't set a fixed day-count — it requires 'reasonable steps' to notify the owner. Standard commercial practice among Victorian hotels is to hold non-perishable items for 60–90 days before disposal or donation.
Victoria doesn't run a dedicated uncollected-goods statute the way NSW does — instead, hotel lost property is governed by Part 4.2 of the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 2012 (Vic), which is principles-based rather than tier-based.
A principles-based obligation, not a fixed timetable
Part 4.2 asks a business holding uncollected goods to take reasonable steps to find and notify the owner, and to keep the goods safe in the meantime — but it leaves the specific holding period to reasonable commercial judgement rather than prescribing exact day-counts per dollar value.
In practice, this means Victorian hotels have more discretion than their NSW counterparts, but also more exposure if a guest later argues the holding period or notice effort wasn't reasonable.
What 'reasonable steps' looks like in practice
Most Victorian accommodation providers settle on a 60–90 day holding window for ordinary items, contacting the guest via the email or phone number on file at the earliest opportunity and again before disposal. Higher-value items (jewellery, electronics, cash) generally warrant a longer hold and, where unclaimed, handover to Victoria Police rather than disposal or donation.
Documenting the 'reasonable steps' test
Because Victoria's test is about reasonableness rather than a fixed formula, the single best protection for a hotel is a clear, timestamped record: when the item was found, what attempts were made to contact the guest, and when it was ultimately disposed of, donated or handed to police. That record is what a hotel would actually rely on if a guest disputed the process later.
How Homebound handles this for VIC properties
Homebound gives every logged item an immutable, timestamped audit trail — from intake photo through guest notification to final disposition — so a VIC property always has the record this guide describes without relying on a paper logbook or spreadsheet. Guests enter their own shipping address and pay for courier return themselves, and it costs the hotel nothing to run.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a fixed statutory holding period for lost property in Victoria?+
Not a hard-coded one. The Fair Trading Act sets a 'reasonable steps' standard rather than a fixed day-count. 60–90 days has become the de facto commercial standard among Victorian hotels for non-perishable items, but it's a practice norm rather than a legislated number.
What should a Victorian hotel do with high-value unclaimed items?+
Handle them separately from ordinary lost property: extend the notice effort, keep them in secured storage, and if genuinely unclaimed after a reasonable period, hand them to Victoria Police rather than disposing of or donating them directly.
Protect Your Property
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