Host - Belinda Heit – Communication and Education – RTA  

Guest – Lynn Smith – Education - RTA  

Host: New Queensland rental laws take effect on 1 May 2025. If you are a property manager, owner or tenant, it is important you understand what these changes mean for you. Today I am joined by RTA's Lynn Smith who will guide us through the 1 May changes. Welcome back Lynn. 

Guest: Thank you, it's good to be back. 

Host: Now before we begin, can you provide our listeners with an overview of your role at the RTA? 

Guest: Sure. Well, Belinda, I've been at the RTA now for around 20 years. Most of that time has been in the education space, delivering presentations, webinars and videos, just to help everyone in the rental sector understand Queensland's tenancy laws, and also to step them through those new legislation changes. 

Host: Thanks, Lynn, and it's been an amazing 20 years. Thank you. Now, let's unpack the 1 May 2025 changes. 

Guest: Sure. The key changes for 1 May 2025 include rent and other payments, balancing privacy and access, requests for fixtures and structural changes, and lastly, the rental application process. 

Host: Alrighty, so let's kick things off with rent and other payments. 

Guest: Now the main change in this space is fairly simple. From 1 May 2025, managing parties must disclose any financial benefits they receive if a tenant chooses to use a particular rent payment method. 

Host: Got it. Now onto balancing privacy and access. 

Guest: There are 3 important things to remember when it comes to updating your knowledge about privacy and access. The minimum entry notice period will increase from 24 hours to 48 hours notice. There's also new limits that apply to the frequency of entry after a notice to end the tenancy has been issued. So this is when a Notice to leave (Form 12) or a Notice of intention to leave (Form 13) has been issued. And there are new rules around the storing and destroying of a tenant's personal information as well as limits to what personal information can be requested and collected by a property manager or owner. 

Host: Okay, so let's touch on requests for fixtures and structural changes next. 

Guest: So from 1 May 2025, tenants will need to use a new approved form and process to request fixtures or structural changes to the rental property. 

Host: And that brings us to the final topic, the rental application process. 

Guest: Absolutely. So a new standardised rental application form will be created and it must be used when a tenant is applying for a rental property. Now property managers and owners will need to provide prospective tenants with an option to lodge this form in ways other than using a third party or online platform.  

There are also some new guidelines on what information a property manager or owner may request from a prospective tenant during that rental application process.  

So just to summarise here with regards to the forms, there are two new forms that will be available. One for tenants requesting fixtures or structural changes, and the other is a standardised tenancy application form for prospective tenants to use. So these will also be available on the RTA website when they are released. 

Host: And the Queensland Government is yet to announce further details on reforms regarding a portable bond scheme, sector code of conduct and framework for requesting modifications. Is that right? 

Guest: Yes, that's right, Belinda. So once we know more on these regulations, the RTA will be able to inform the sector. 

Host: That's fantastic. Thank you for taking us through the 1 May 2025 rental law changes, Lynn.  

Remember, the RTA is here to help you and everyone in the sector navigate rental law changes. For more information, including implementation dates, please visit the RTA's website at rta.qld.gov.au.  

Thank you for listening to the Talking Tenancies podcast. For more information about the Residential Tenancies Authority, visit rta.qld.gov.au.