Guide
Rental laws by state: where they differ
Each state and territory writes its own tenancy law, so advice that holds in one often fails in the next. Two jurisdictions still allow no-grounds evictions, only the ACT caps rent increases, and minimum standards run from a 14-item checklist to nothing at all.
| State | No-grounds evictions | Rent increases | Minimum standards | Entry | Pets | Bond |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Abolished (19 May 2025) | Uncapped; NCAT can hear an “excessive” challenge | 7 items | 4 inspections / 12 months | 21 days to refuse in writing | 4 weeks |
| Victoria | Abolished | Uncapped; VCAT can hear an “excessive” challenge | 14 items, checked before advertising | Once / 6 months, none in first 3 months | 14 days; refusal needs a VCAT order | 1 month (more above $900/week) |
| Queensland | Abolished | Uncapped; clock attaches to the property, not the tenant | 9 items | Once / 3 months | 14 days to refuse in writing | 4 weeks |
| South Australia | Abolished (1 July 2024) | Uncapped; clock resets with a new tenant | Set under the Housing Improvement Act 2016 | 4 inspections / year | 14 days to refuse in writing | 4 weeks (6 above a rent threshold) |
| Western Australia | Still valid (a ban is announced, not legislated) | Uncapped | None prescribed | Once / 3 months | 14 days; pet bond up to $350 allowed | 4 weeks (uncapped above $1,200/week) |
| Tasmania | Never existed | Uncapped | None prescribed | Once / 3 months, 24-hour notice | 14 days; refusal needs a tribunal order; pet bonds banned | 4 weeks |
| Australian Capital Territory | Abolished (2019) | Capped at 110% of CPI growth, the only jurisdiction that caps | Energy efficiency deadline 30 Nov 2026 | Twice / 12 months, plus a final-month inspection | 14 days; refusal needs an ACAT order | No fixed weeks specified here; confirm with Access Canberra |
| Northern Territory | Still valid: 60 days' notice, no ground needed | Uncapped; every 6 months, and only if written into the lease | Smoke alarm / gas / electrical rules sit outside the RTA | No fixed frequency specified here; confirm with NT Consumer Affairs | 14 days to refuse in writing | 4 weeks, held by the agent or landlord (there's no government bond authority) |
Each state name opens a fuller guide. We've left out penalty amounts and a few state-specific figures that we couldn't confirm against a primary regulator source, and each guide says what's missing and why.
Myths
Six things people get wrong
The claims we saw repeated most often that don't survive a read of the current law.
No. That was a consultation, and it closed without a start date, so NSW has no energy efficiency standard in force yet.
No. It was never implemented, and the Residential Tenancies Authority's own site has no such scheme listed.
No. The bill passed the lower house on 7 May 2026 and has stalled in the Legislative Council. The government's own position, as of April 2026, is that it would start no earlier than 1 January 2027.
No. A ban has been announced, but no bill has been drafted or introduced. The no-grounds route remains valid under WA law right now.
No. The pet provisions commenced on 1 January 2021. The January 2024 reforms covered separate ground: notice periods, domestic and family violence protections, and rent bidding.
No, that's a common misreading. The 110% applies to the growth in Canberra's rents-specific CPI measure, not to the rent itself. If that CPI figure hasn't moved, no increase is permitted at all.
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