Episode 200: Location-Specific Tenancy Guidance for Queensland Australia

Summary

Today’s location-specific episode features Queensland Australia, which is my first non-North American location.  We explore the overview of the housing guiding document called The Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008.  Tenancies in Queensland have different rules based on different types of rentals including “general” tenancies for apartments or houses, then another tenancy type for moveable homes (like in a RV known as a caravan), and then a different type for roommate/shared accommodations.

Each of my location-specific podcasts is set up the same way answering the same four questions: 

1) What are the basics of the The Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008

2) What are the nuances of this location – what is different that stands out?

3) Some guidance about abandoned items left behind by a tenant in a rental in Queensland Australia

4) Where to get help in your local area in Queensland Australia.  Then I’ll go through what I call my “Bingo Card” of standard items I see most often in tenancy laws in different locations.  This episode is NOT all inclusive – you must research further in your specific area including your County, Regional District, Parish, City or any other Governing Body that involves your rental location, but today’s episode will get you started!

This episode includes resources for Queensland Australia including:

• Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008

• Queensland tenancy laws | Residential Tenancies Authority

• Form-18a-General-tenancy-agreement.pdf

• Overview of the 1 May 2025 Tenancy Law Changes – What you need to know – Tenants Queensland

• Tenant Rights in Queensland: A Comprehensive Guide - aussierentlaws.com

• QSTARS | Renting in Queensland

• Abandoned property and goods | Residential Tenancies Authority

• REIQ | Trash or treasure? - Best practice for dealing with abandoned goods

Listen to the full episode :

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This Week’s Blog Post:

Welcome to My Life As A Landlord, where we educate curious US and Canadian landlords, answer rental questions, and clear up confusions about all things housing. I'm your host, Doctor Jennifer Salisbury. Episode 200. This is my first show that is doing a location specific episode outside of North America. Up until now, I've done only Canadian and American locations, and today I am making the jump over to Australia, specifically the state of Queensland.

The Four Questions for Queensland

This is what I do. I take a look at the tenancy laws for that location in efforts to answer four simple questions. What are the basics of that location? What are the nuances of that location? What about items that a tenant might leave behind in an abandonment situation, and then where to get help in the local area, in this case Queensland, Australia. At the very end of the episode, I go through the rest of what I call my bingo card and I see what did we not answer, what do we need to jump back into. I gotta tell you, as good as I try to be, and as much as I try to review, I may or may not get it all, especially with a location as big as Queensland, Australia. You've got to do your own research. Even if I get this 100% right, five minutes after recording laws can and will change.

Rental Bonds, Leases, and Forms

The Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act of 2008, current as of August 1st 2025, is 500 pages. Holy guacamole. Queensland has pre-made forms that I love. The general tenancy form is even pre-filled for you. All you got to do is type it in and then print it. Rental bond is their word for security deposit. How much bond can be taken? Four weeks rent for general tenancies, two weeks rent for movable dwellings, meaning either a tiny home or something on wheels, and three weeks rent for movable dwellings if electricity is provided. If the property manager owner takes a bond, they must give the tenant a receipt and lodge it with the Residential Tenancies Authority within ten days. Rental bond is lodged with RTA Web Services or by post using a bond lodgement form. You actually remit this money to the RTA, the Residential Tenancies Authority. The landlord completely relinquishes it, which is unlike most places in North America where the landlord retains control over it.

Entry Notice, Pets, and Application Process

Entry notice or proper notice shows most entry notices are 48 hours unless you're going to do a quarterly inspection, then it's seven days notice. Entry times are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday. You can't do it on a Sunday according to this. They talk about defining a pet and requesting to keep a pet. Local council laws may limit the number and types of animals that can be kept at the property. Collection of personal information, especially when someone is applying for your rental in Queensland, got more detailed with the last revision for the act. A property manager owner can request no more than two documents from each following categories: documents proving the prospective tenant's identity, documents showing the prospective tenants financial ability to pay rent, and documents assessing the prospective tenants suitability for the rental. It is an offence to request personal information from prospective tenants outside what is prescribed by the act. The maximum penalty for non-compliance is 20 penalty units, which is $3,338 Australian dollars or $2,179.71 US dollars.

Grace Periods, Abandoned Property, and Resources

If a tenant does not pay all the rent on the date it's due the following day, they are one day in arrears. The property manager owner cannot issue a breach notice until the tenant has been arrears for a certain number of days. For general tenancy, if rent is paid up to seven days, five days in a caravan park, but seven days, discuss the problem with the tenant. Give the tenant notice to remedy on the eighth day. Tenant has seven additional days to pay the unpaid rent. For abandoned property, the property manager owner must have reasonable grounds to believe that the property has been abandoned. Goods should be valued to determine their worth, and the type of tenancy agreement and the total value of goods left behind determines how and when the goods can be stored, sold or disposed of. In general tenancy agreements, if the total values of the goods left behind is less than $2,500, the goods can be sold or disposed of straight away. If the total goods of value left behind is more than $2,500, the goods must be stored for one month, after which they must be sold at auction. If you're in Queensland and you're new to real estate, you really may want to either get into a meetup or talk to someone in real estate. Real estate takes you places. Where do you want real estate to take you?