Rent4Keeps franchise network enters voluntary administration following regulatory sanctions

A group of entities operating under the Rent4Keeps brand across Australia have entered voluntary administration, with Sam Kaso and Matthew Sweeny of Cor Cordis appointed as administrators on 24 April 2026, taking control of Rent4Keeps WA Pty Ltd, Rent4Keeps QLD Pty Ltd, Rent4Keeps (Aust) Pty Ltd, Kapex Holdings Pty Ltd (formerly trading as Rent4Keeps NSW), and Darranda Pty Ltd as trustee for the Payne Family Trust (formerly trading as Rent4Keeps Victoria).

No details have yet been released regarding the immediate causes of the appointments or the administrators’ restructuring strategy, but the group’s collapse follows sustained regulatory action and significant financial penalties imposed by the Federal Court in proceedings brought by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

Rent4Keeps operated a national rent-to-own franchise model targeting consumers seeking household goods through instalment-based arrangements, often serving lower-income customers or those receiving government benefits. The business supplied essential items such as refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, and mobile phones under contracts structured as consumer leases rather than traditional credit agreements.

In 2024 and 2025, the Federal Court found that the group, together with its franchisees, had engaged in systemic misconduct by charging customers substantially inflated prices for basic goods, in some cases up to four times their retail value. Evidence before the Court included a mobile phone sold for $5,980 over two years despite a retail price of $1,229, and household appliances similarly marked up to multiples of their cash cost.

The Court found that Darranda, the Victorian state master franchisee, had entered into at least 516 agreements that were in substance credit contracts rather than leases, thereby breaching statutory interest rate caps of 48% per annum and failing to provide required disclosures, including interest rates and cash prices. Rent4Keeps was found to have been knowingly involved in those contraventions.

Penalties imposed reflected the seriousness of the conduct and the vulnerability of the affected customer base, with Rent4Keeps ordered to pay $4 million and Darranda $3.4 million. The Court also found that the companies had failed to act efficiently, honestly, and fairly in a highly regulated environment, emphasizing the need for strict compliance where businesses deal with financially vulnerable consumers.

Further details on the administration, including creditor exposure and next steps in the process, are expected as the administrators conduct their initial investigations.