Queensland self-managing landlord compliance checklist

Test and clean every smoke alarm within the 30 days before the tenancy starts. Replace any flat battery. A renewal or extension counts as a new tenancy. This is your job, not the tenant's.

Check that alarms are photoelectric, interconnected, and either hardwired or fitted with a 10-year non-removable battery, in every bedroom, connecting hallway and storey. Replace any alarm older than 10 years or that fails a test.

Confirm every power point circuit has a safety switch. If one is missing, arrange installation as soon as practical after you send the proposed agreement to the tenant.

Check the property meets all minimum housing standards: weatherproof and structurally sound, fixtures and appliances in good repair, working locks on reachable external doors and windows, free of vermin, damp and mould, privacy coverings in bedrooms, adequate plumbing with hot and cold drinkable water, bathroom privacy and a flushing toilet, a working cooktop if there is a kitchen, and laundry plumbing if there is a laundry.

If there is a pool: do not sign a lease for a property with its own pool unless a current pool safety certificate is in effect. Certificates last 2 years for a non-shared pool and 1 year for a shared pool. For a unit with a shared pool and no current certificate, lodge Form 36 and the body corporate has 90 days to get one. Give the tenant a copy and display it near the pool access.

Use the official rental application form (Form 22) and offer at least 2 ways to submit it. There are limits on the personal information you can ask for.

Advertise at a fixed rent. Rent bidding (inviting or accepting offers above the advertised price) is banned.

Offer at least 2 ways to pay rent, one of which costs the tenant no more than ordinary bank fees. Disclose any payment costs in writing before signing, and disclose any benefit you receive from a payment method.

Use the current General tenancy agreement (Form 18a). The agreement must state the date of the last rent increase for the property. Agree in writing if notices will be sent electronically.

Give the tenant a receipt for the bond and lodge it with the RTA within 10 days. Maximum bond is 4 weeks' rent, including any pet bond. Lodge online through RTA Web Services or by post with Form 2.

Complete, sign and give the tenant the Entry condition report (Form 1a) at the start of the tenancy, with photos. The tenant has 7 days to return their copy. Keep it: it is your evidence at the end.

If you intend to pass on water charges: the property must be individually metered and water efficient, and you must give the tenant a copy of the bill within 4 weeks of receiving it.

Rent increases: no sooner than 12 months after the current rent became payable, even if the last increase was under a previous tenant or owner. Give at least 2 months' written notice stating the new amount, the start date and the date of the last increase. If the tenant asks in writing for evidence of the last increase, provide it within 14 days.

Entry: give an Entry notice (Form 9) every time. Routine inspections need 7 days' notice and can happen no more than once every 3 months. Repairs, smoke alarm or safety switch work, valuations and showing buyers or new tenants need 48 hours. Enter between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday, with a set time or a 2-hour window.

Pets: respond in writing within 14 days of a pet request. If you do not, the pet is approved automatically. You can only refuse on a ground in the Act and must give the specific reason. A blanket "no pets" is not compliant, and you cannot charge extra money for a pet beyond the normal bond. See the pet request rules and 14-day deadline calculator.

Repairs: anything needed to meet minimum housing standards is treated as an emergency repair. Keep the property to the standards for the whole tenancy, not just at the start.

Safety switches: test every 3 months (recommended). Agree with the tenant who does it.

Pool certificate: diarise the expiry (2 years non-shared, 1 year shared) and renew before it lapses. A new lease cannot be signed without a current one.

Records: keep all rental records, including records of depreciating assets, for 5 years from the date you lodge the tax return that uses them.

The tenant must test and clean each smoke alarm at least once every 12 months, replace flat batteries, never remove or cover an alarm, and report any fault to you.

You need a ground in the Act to end a tenancy and must use a Notice to leave (Form 12). To end at the end of a fixed term, give at least 2 months' notice. Other grounds have their own periods: 7 days for unpaid rent (after a breach notice), 14 days for an unremedied breach, 2 months for sale, owner moving in, major renovation or demolition.

After a Notice to leave or Notice of intention to leave is given, you may enter no more than 2 times in any 7-day period (with limited exceptions).

Complete the Exit condition report (Form 14a) at the vacate inspection and send the tenant a signed copy within 3 business days. Keep it for at least 1 year.

If you claim on the bond, you must give the tenant your evidence within 14 days of the claim or dispute. The RTA has named bond-claim evidence its first enforcement priority for 2026-27.

Form 1a Entry condition report · Form 2 Bond lodgement · Form 9 Entry notice · Form 11 Notice to remedy breach · Form 12 Notice to leave · Form 14a Exit condition report · Form 18a General tenancy agreement · Pet request response template · Form 22 Rental application · All RTA general tenancy forms