Tenants: what do 6 June 2024 rental law changes mean for me?
New rental laws for Queensland general tenancies, rooming accommodation and moveable dwelling tenancies
are now in effect under the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation and Other Legislation
Amendment Act 2024, which amends the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008
(the Act).
From 6 June 2024, several changes to Queensland’s tenancy laws will be introduced, which include:
Rent andincreases

Balancing privacyand access

Rental bondprocesses

Regulation andenforcement

Otherchanges

The RTA is here to help you navigate the new rules and understand your rights and responsibilities.

Rent and increases•Rent bidding – as a prospective tenant, you cannot offer to pay higher rent (than advertised) to securea rental agreement.

•Maximum rent in advance – a property manager/owner cannot, at the start of a new tenancy, solicit,
accept or invite you as a prospective tenant to pay more rent in advance that exceeds two weeks
for a periodic tenancy agreement or movable dwelling tenancy agreement and one month for a fixedtenancy agreement, even if a prospective tenant makes an offer to pay more than the amountprescribed in the legislation.
Note: throughout the course of a tenancy, a tenant may negotiate how much rent in advance canbe paid.

•Rent increases – rent increases can only occur once every 12 months and this now applies to theproperty, rather than the tenancy. If you start a new rental agreement, the managing party cannot
charge more than the previous tenancy if re-letting occurs within the same 12 month period.
Additionally, new rental agreements must state the date of the last rent increase, so be sure to checkthis when signing a new tenancy agreement. It is an offence for the date of the last rent increase to not
be included on your agreement.

•Exemptions for rent increases – exempt property managers/owners and exempt providers/agentswill be exempt from minimum period to increase rent. The Act provides definitions for an exempt
property manager/owner and an exempt provider.

•Evidence of last rent increase – you may request in writing, evidence from the managing party as tothe date of the last rent increase, which they must provide to you within 14 days. The requirement toprovide evidence of a rent increase does not apply if the premises is purchased within 12 months ofcommencement, and the property manager/owner does not have information about the date of thelast rent increase. For more information, please visit our Rent increases webpage.

•Undue hardship – a managing party may apply to Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal(QCAT) for permission to increase rent within 12 months due to undue hardship. The tribunal musthave regard to any representation made by you as the tenant, in relation to affordability and ability tocontinue to pay rent.

•Fixed price for rooming – if you are looking to rent a room, be aware that all rooming accommodationmust be advertised at a fixed price.

Page 1 of 2

Balancing privacy and access•Smoke alarms – if you are a resident in rooming accommodation, the managing party may notify youof their intention to enter the room for the purposes of installing, maintaining or repairing smoke alarms.
A managing party is required to issue you with a Notice of entry (Form 9), at least 24 hours in advance,
to enter the property.

Rental bond processes•

Commercial bond loans – the process for refunding bonds involving commercial bond loan suppliers
has changed.

•Bond for rooming accommodation – bonds must be lodged for each room where the owner lives on
the premises and there are three or less rooms for rent, as well as student accommodation.

•

Bond disputes – if a bond dispute is dismissed or withdrawn at Queensland Civil and Administrative
Tribunal (QCAT), the RTA can release the bond as per the original request.

Regulations and enforcement•Establish new regulations – three new Heads of Power (regulations) will be established to oversee
the development and implementation of (1) a new portable bond scheme (2) rental sector code ofconduct and (3) applications to make modifications for safety, security or accessibility.

•Information sharing – the RTA will have the ability to share information with other regulatory bodies
including the Office of Fair Trading.

•Providing false and misleading information – expanded to include ‘the authority’ (RTA) and penaltyprovisions apply.

•Greater enforcement – new offence provisions allow the RTA to take greater enforcement actions touphold compliance with the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008. If you thinka breach of the Act has occurred, you can request an investigation from the RTA.

Other changes•

Ending tenancies – greater clarity on ending tenancies in the following situations: a short tenancy for
moveable dwellings, when a community title scheme (that is, a body corporate for units or townhouses)
is terminated and changes to terminology with regards to ending a tenancy due to student entitlement.

•Goods left behind – if a tenant leaves goods behind at the end of a tenancy, a managing party may
contact a tenant to discuss collecting their goods. If a managing party has made reasonable attempts(now defined in the Act) to contact a tenant and they are unable to, or the tenant does not wish tocollect the goods, a managing party may sell the goods at auction or dispose of the goods.

•

Other – in general, some terminology and minor amendments have changed and while some penaltyprovisions have been added, others have been increased.

Further changes
Additional changes introduced under the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation and Other
Legislation Amendment Act 2024 will continue to be rolled out. Keep an eye on our website for further
information as listed below.

Further information

For more information visit the Residential Tenancies Authority website

rta.qld.gov.au/rental-law-changes
Disclaimer:This quick guide is prepared for information only. The Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008is the primary source on the law and takes precedence over this information should there be any inconsistency
between the Act and this quick guide.

Page 2 of 2

May24