Tenancy Customer Charter

Our Tenancy Customer Charter (Charter) is a voluntary framework designed to explain the processes which apply to different types of lease negotiations for port land.

The Charter will apply to eligible leases that were negotiated and executed after 31 October 2016 being the commencement of Port of Melbourne Group’s (PoM) 50-year lease with the Victorian Government.

In developing the Charter, we have sought to:

provide transparency and predictability of negotiating processes, by explaining the steps and the timeframes involved in each process
assist existing tenants, prospective tenants and the PoM in negotiating terms and conditions of leases
explain the mediation and dispute resolution processes that exist to support existing tenants, prospective tenants and PoM in negotiating terms and conditions of leases
explain the compliance monitoring and disclosure regime that accompany this Charter.

The introduction of the Charter is informed by, and aligned with, the Essential Services Commission’s recommendations in their Port of Melbourne Market Rent Inquiry 2020.

If you would like more information on the Tenancy Customer Charter, please email TenancyCharter@portofmelbourne.com

Market Rent Inquiry

The Essential Services Commission (ESC) has undertaken a second Market Rent Inquiry covering the period 1 November 2019 to 31 October 2024.

The commercial tenancy environment at the Port is complex with many leases pre-dating privatisation (October 2016). Lease agreements vary in term, but long-term leases typically have a term of around 20 years or more, which gives our tenants certainty to plan and execute their business strategies.

In November 2021 we introduced the Tenancy Customer Charter, designed to assist tenants in negotiating leases that meet their bespoke operating needs, are commercially acceptable to both parties and are struck in accordance with our obligations to the Victorian Government.

Since the last Market Rent Inquiry findings were published in October 2020, PoM has taken ongoing steps to establish a customer centric relationship approach, including realignment of the property team to better meet the needs of our tenants.

Market Rent Inquiry – ESC Report findings

Having concluded the Inquiry process, the ESC has reaffirmed our view that we have not exercised power to the detriment of Victorian Consumers. Further to this, recognition of our practices to achieve better outcomes for both parties including collaboration, demonstrating a more transparent and open negotiation process is a testament to the effort PoM has put into being a good corporate citizen.

We will continue to embed positive behaviours that have been noted by the ESC into our ways of working, building on our established willingness to negotiate with tenants and recognising that each of our tenants’ needs vary.

The final ESC report is available here.

The Inquiry was undertaken from 1 October 2024 to 30 April 2025. More information can be found on the ESC’s webpage: Port of Melbourne market rent inquiry 2025 | Essential Services Commission

Activity	Indicative Timeline
Release of scope and process paper	1 October 2024
Public forum	7 November 2024
Submissions on scope and process paper due	14 November 2024
Confidential drop-in sessions	November 2024
Release of preliminary report to the Port of Melbourne only	Mid-February 2025
The Port of Melbourne’s response to our preliminary findings due	End March 2025
Release of final report	17 June 2025