What Queensland rental law changes are still to come?

Two dated changes remain. From 1 January 2027 every Queensland dwelling, rented or not, must have interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms. For rooming accommodation only, prescribed house rules must meet the 2025 Regulation's requirements from 31 August 2026. Everything else in the 2022 to 2025 reform program is already in force.

When did the 48 hour entry notice start in Queensland?

1 May 2025. Before that date the minimum notice for most entry grounds was 24 hours. Routine inspections still need 7 days.

When did the 12 month rent increase limit start in Queensland?

The once in 12 months limit started on 1 July 2023. From 6 June 2024 it attaches to the property rather than the tenancy, so a new tenant or a new owner does not reset the clock, and the agreement must state the date of the last increase.

Do I need to use new RTA forms in 2026?

Yes. The Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Regulation 2025 took effect on 1 September 2025 and the RTA updated its tenancy agreement forms to match. Agreements signed before that date stay valid, but any new agreement should use the current form downloaded from the RTA website.

Queensland rental law changes 2022 to 2027: the timeline for self-managing landlords

Every change in date order, with what it means if you manage your own rental. Checked against the Residential Tenancies Authority and Queensland Fire Department pages on 23 October 2026. The official source is linked under each date.

The short version. Queensland rewrote its tenancy rules in 5 waves between October 2022 and September 2025. All of it is now in force. The only dated change still ahead for a normal house or unit landlord is the smoke alarm deadline on 1 January 2027. If you have not re-read your obligations since you first became a landlord, the list below is what you missed.

Still to come

1 January 2027: smoke alarms in every dwelling

Every private home, unit, townhouse and manufactured home in Queensland must have interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms in every bedroom, in hallways connecting bedrooms to the rest of the home, and on every storey. Rentals have needed this at each new lease or renewal since 1 January 2022, so most rentals already comply. The 2027 date catches long periodic tenancies that have never been renewed, and any property you own but do not rent out. Full explainer: what landlords must do before 1 January 2027.

Source: Queensland Fire Department, Smoke alarms

31 August 2026: house rules (rooming accommodation only)

Prescribed house rules written under the old 2009 Regulation stop being valid after 31 August 2026 and must meet the requirements of the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Regulation 2025. This only matters if you run rooming accommodation. It does not apply to a house or unit let under a general tenancy agreement.

Source: RTA, Upcoming changes to Queensland tenancy regulation and RTA forms

Already in force

1 July 2026: penalty unit rises to $172.70

Not a tenancy law change, but it changes what a breach costs. Most landlord offences under the Act carry a maximum of 20 penalty units, which is now $3,454. Unlawful entry, a rent increase inside 12 months and failing to disclose a payment benefit are all 20 penalty unit offences.

Source: Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (Queensland legislation). The penalty unit value is set under the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992.

1 September 2025: new Regulation and updated RTA forms

The Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Regulation 2025 replaced the 2009 Regulation, which was due to expire. The RTA updated its tenancy agreement forms at the same time, including Form 18a, with reordered items and simplified wording. Agreements signed before 1 September 2025 remain valid. For any new tenancy or renewal, download the current form from the RTA rather than reusing an old copy. Thresholds for goods left behind also changed: $2,500 for ordinary goods under agreements that ended on or after 1 September 2025.

Source: RTA, Upcoming changes to Queensland tenancy regulation and RTA forms

1 May 2025: entry, applications, personal information, modifications

Minimum notice for most entry grounds rose from 24 hours to 48 hours. Routine inspections still need 7 days. Entry notice rules explained, with an earliest-entry calculator.
After a Notice to leave or Notice of intention to leave, entry is limited to 2 times in any 7 day period, with limited exceptions
Rental applications must use the standard form (Form 22) and applicants must be offered at least 2 ways to submit it. There are limits on the personal information you can ask for and rules on how long you can keep it
Tenants can ask in writing for fixtures or structural changes and you must respond within 28 days
You must declare in writing any financial benefit you receive from a tenant's chosen rent payment method

Source: RTA, Rental law changes and RTA, New laws in effect from 1 May 2025

30 September 2024: bond cap, payment methods, bills, bond evidence

Maximum bond is 4 weeks' rent for every tenancy, regardless of the weekly rent
You must offer at least 2 ways to pay rent, 1 of which costs the tenant no more than ordinary bank fees
Utility bills must be passed to the tenant within 4 weeks of you receiving them or the tenant does not have to pay
If you claim on the bond, you must give the tenant your supporting evidence within 14 days of lodging the claim or dispute
Reletting costs when a tenant breaks a fixed term are now calculated on the time remaining

Source: RTA, Rental law changes

6 June 2024: rent bidding ban, rent increases attach to the property

Advertising a rent range or accepting offers above the advertised rent is banned
Rent in advance is capped at 2 weeks for periodic agreements and 1 month for fixed terms
The 12 month limit on rent increases now attaches to the property, not the tenancy. A new tenant or a new owner does not reset it. The agreement must state the date of the last increase, and a tenant can ask for written proof, which you must give within 14 days. Rent increase rules explained, with a next-increase date calculator.
New and increased penalties and wider RTA enforcement powers

Source: RTA, Rental law changes

1 September 2023 and 1 September 2024: minimum housing standards

Minimum housing standards applied to new and renewing tenancies from 1 September 2023 and to every tenancy from 1 September 2024. The property must be weatherproof and structurally sound, free of vermin, damp and mould, have working locks on reachable external doors and windows, privacy coverings in bedrooms, adequate plumbing and hot water, a flushing toilet, a working cooktop if there is a kitchen and laundry plumbing if there is a laundry. Anything needed to meet the standards is treated as an emergency repair.

Source: RTA, Minimum housing standards

1 July 2023: rent increases limited to once every 12 months

The first version of the rule. Rent could only be increased once in any 12 month period for the same tenancy. The 6 June 2024 change closed the gap by attaching the limit to the property.

Source: RTA, Rental law changes

1 October 2022: pets, ending a tenancy, repair orders

Tenants can request a pet in writing and you must respond within 14 days or the pet is approved automatically. You can only refuse on a ground listed in the Act and must give the specific reason. A blanket "no pets" clause is not compliant
Ending a tenancy "without grounds" was removed. You need an approved reason and the correct notice period on a Notice to leave (Form 12), including 2 months' notice to end at the end of a fixed term
Tenants gained new repair order options through QCAT

Source: RTA, Rental law changes and RTA, Renting with pets

1 January 2022: interconnected smoke alarms at every new lease

From this date every rental had to be fitted with interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms before a new lease, renewal or extension. This is the rule that has already caught most rentals. The 1 January 2027 date finishes the job for every other dwelling.

Source: Queensland Fire Department, Smoke alarms

9 changes in 5 years, and nobody sends self-managing landlords a memo

Agents pay staff to track this. If you self-manage, the free Landlord Minder checklist puts every current Queensland obligation on 1 page, grouped by when it applies, with the official source linked for each. When the law changes again, you get 1 email saying what changed and what to do.

Read the free checklist Get reminded before each date

Frequently asked

I have had the same tenant since 2021. Which of these apply to me?
All of them. The rent increase limit, the bond cap, the payment method rule, the pet rules, minimum housing standards and the 48 hour entry notice apply to existing tenancies, not just new ones. The main thing that may not have been triggered yet is the smoke alarm upgrade, if the agreement has never been renewed or extended since 2022. That is due by 1 January 2027.

Is a Queensland portable bond scheme or rental code of conduct coming?
Neither is law at the time of writing and neither appears on the RTA's rental law changes page. This page will be updated if either is passed with a commencement date.

Where do I find the current version of each form?
Always download from the RTA on the day you need it. The checklist links directly to Forms 1a, 2, 9, 11, 12, 14a, 18a and 22.

This page is general information, not legal advice. It summarises public information from the Residential Tenancies Authority and the Queensland Fire Department. Check the linked official source or get professional advice before you act. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Sign up and reply to the welcome email, and it will be fixed.