The information that must be included in a general tenancy agreement is set out in the Act and the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Regulation 2025. Some of the details that must be included are:

• name, address and contact details of the property manager/owner
• name and contact details of the tenant(s)
• address of the rental property
• whether the agreement is fixed term or periodic (see below for details)
• start date and, if fixed term, the end date of the agreement
• the amount of rent to pay, when to pay and how to pay
• amount of rental bond
• date of the last rent increase for the property
• which utilities and service charges the tenant must pay for
• contact details for nominated repairers
• standard terms as set out in the Act and the Regulation
• any special terms
• the signatures of all parties.

There are penalties in place if the property manager/owner fails to provide a written agreement. You still have rights and responsibilities under the law even if a written agreement is not provided.

A general tenancy agreement can be a:

• fixed term agreement, which means the agreement is for a fixed period of time with a specified start and end date, or
• periodic agreement, which means the agreement has a start date but no specified end date, and operates on an ongoing basis for an unspecified amount of time (e.g. fortnight to fortnight).

Property managers/providers and residents in rooming accommodation can agree to opt into a general tenancy agreement by completing and signing a General tenancy agreement (Form 18a). Once they have opted in, parties must abide by the terms of the general tenancy for the length of the agreement.

General tenancies include longer notice periods and more rights and responsibilities than rooming accommodation.

Opting into a general tenancy may be useful where a property manager/provider rents multiple styles of accommodation and wants a single set of rules to follow, or if a general tenancy agreement is more suitable for the property.