Upcoming Rental Law Changes

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).

Passed by Queensland Parliament on 23 May 2024, some new laws commenced upon assent on 6 June 2024 and others will come into effect on a date to be advised upon proclamation. 

While we currently don't know exactly what these changes will be or when they will come into affect, the RTA (Residential Tenancies Authority) have listed upcoming changes on their website.

These include:

Rent And Increases:
Upcoming changes (dates to be advised)

• Re-letting costs – will be calculated on the remaining time on the tenancy or rooming agreement and whether the fixed term agreement is greater or less than three years
• Rent payments – tenants must be offered two ways to pay rent including a way that does not incur more than usual bank costs and is reasonably available to a tenant
• Disclosing benefits – any financial benefits received by managing parties regarding rent payments must be disclosed
• Utility bills – a tenant must receive utility bills within a four-week timeframe unless the managing party has a reasonable excuse, otherwise the tenant does not need to pay. There are also changes to how water charges are calculated and can be charged when a tenancy begins or ends during a billing period. 

Balancing privacy and access
Upcoming changes (dates to be advised)

• Entry notice period – the minimum entry notice period has increased from 24 hours to 48 hours
• Entry frequency – new limits apply to the frequency of entry after a notice to end the tenancy has been issued.
  
  

Rental bond processes
Upcoming changes (dates to be advised)

• Maximum bond – no more than four weeks rent can be requested by a managing party. There will be provision in certain circumstances for tenants to request a refund of bonds paid over the maximum amount prior to these changes coming into effect
• Evidence for bond claims – when making a bond claim or disputing a bond, the managing party must provide the tenant with supporting evidence within 14 days of lodging a claim or dispute.

New regulations and enforcement
Upcoming changes (dates to be advised)

• Information sharing – the RTA will have the ability to share information with other regulatory bodies including the Office of Fair Trading
• New regulations commence – three new Heads of Power (regulations) commence for (1) the new portable bond scheme (2) a rental sector code of conduct and (3) applications to make modifications for safety, security or accessibility—more information will be available once regulations have been developed.

Other changes
Upcoming changes (dates to be advised)

• Rental application process – a new standardised rental application form will be created and must be used when a tenant is applying for a rental property. Managing parties will need to provide prospective tenants with an option to lodge this form in ways other than using third-party platforms. There are also new guidelines on what information managing parties may request from prospective tenants during the rental application process
• Protecting privacy – new limits apply to the personal information that can be requested and collected by managing parties
• Request for fixtures and structural changes – revised process for a tenant to request fixtures and structural changes (in writing) to the managing party who must respond within 28 days.