Queensland is home to people of many cultures, and this diversity is reflected in the state’s rental sector of tenants/residents and property managers/owners.

At the time of the 2021 Census, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that more than 1 in 5 Queenslanders were born overseas and more than 1 in 10 spoke a language other than English at home.

To help our diverse rental sector communicate better and get the support it needs to work together, we’re sharing resources and information about useful services.

Communication between tenants and property managers

If a property manager has non-English speaking tenants/residents, they can access the Free Interpreting Service (FIS) provided by Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) to help both parties discuss the tenancy.

The FIS is an Australian Government funded service available to eligible agency groups to ensure non-English speakers can access key services including housing. It can be used for any private residential property matter, including signing new tenancy agreements and organising inspections.

To access the FIS, property managers need to register for a client code with TIS National via the client registration form. Phone, video and face-to-face interpreting services are available.

An interpreter service can help ensure tenants/residents understand the details of their tenancy and their obligations

For people who would like to learn more about working with an interpreter, the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland and Settlement Services International have developed a free working with interpreters e-learning course.

Communicating with the RTA

If you need to contact the RTA to ask bond and tenancy related questions, support is available to customers from a variety of cultural backgrounds.

When customers call the RTA on 1300 366 311, they can request a free interpreter by selecting the interpreter option from the phone menu. Customers then select their language and an interpreter will be brought into the call to translate between the customer and RTA staff.

In some cases, an interpreter for your requested language may not be available immediately. If this is the case, the RTA can help book an interpreter call for you.

The RTA is unable to provide an interpreter service to help tenants/residents and property managers/owners communicate with each other. However, if you are using the RTA’s free dispute resolution service, an interpreter can be requested for the conciliation process. This helps tenants/residents and property managers/owners to better understand each other’s concerns, as well as helping the RTA to facilitate discussion.

Translated resources for tenants

The RTA’s Pocket guide for tenants – houses and units (Form 17a) answers commonly asked questions about tenancies including repairs, rent payments, lease agreements and rental bonds. It is available in 8 languages other than English.

This handy pocket guide must be provided to a tenant before they lease a property. The translations are available at Pocket guide for tenants - other languages.

People settling permanently and some temporary or provisional visa holders in Australia can also access the Free Translating Service provided by Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National). If you are eligible, you can have up to 10 personal documents translated, including those that may be helpful when applying for a tenancy.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander support

If you identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, you can access Songlines, the RTA’s dedicated phone service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander customers. Calls are answered by staff trained to provide a culturally appropriate, sensitive and respectful service when answering questions about renting in Queensland.

Interpreter services are also available for 15 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. Interpreters for these languages need to be booked in advance.

Contacting the RTA

Information about how to contact the RTA is available in 27 different languages.