A property manager/owner and tenant/resident may mutually agree in writing to end a tenancy on a specific date. There is no RTA form that can be used to end a tenancy by mutual agreement. 

It is recommended that the written agreement is signed by all parties. The agreement could include the date the tenancy will end, any compensation that may be paid between the parties, and the reason the parties would like to end the tenancy.

If either party has issued a notice to remedy a breach of the agreement and it has not been remedied by the specified date, this may be grounds to end the tenancy.

Breaches by tenants/residents may include unpaid rent or damage to the property. Breaches by property managers/owners may include failing to make repairs to maintain the property.

This reason may be used to end a tenancy:

By tenants with a general tenancy or moveable dwelling agreement. Tenants may end the tenancy if the property is advertised for sale or shown to a prospective buyer in the first 2 months and they weren’t notified in writing before they signed the agreement.

The tenant has until 2 weeks after the first 2 months of the tenancy to advise they want to leave. For short term moveable dwelling agreements, the tenant can provide 1 days’ notice to end the agreement for this reason.

By property managers/owners if a property is required to be vacant for sale or to prepare for sale:

• to end a fixed term agreement on the end date of the agreement or the end date of the notice period (whichever is later)
• to end a periodic agreement with appropriate notice.

If the property manager/owner ended the tenancy for this reason, they must not let or offer a residential tenancy for the property for 6 months after the handover date of the tenancy. Penalties apply.

This reason cannot be used:

• by residents to end a rooming accommodation agreement
• by property managers/owners to end a short term moveable dwelling agreement
• by property managers/owners to end a fixed term agreement early.

For more information, see when a property is for sale.

Either party may end the agreement if the property:

• has been destroyed (other than because of a breach of the agreement)
• has been made completely or partially unfit to live in (other than because of a breach of the agreement)
• can no longer be used legally as a residence.

For example, after a natural disaster. For more information, see when a property becomes unliveable.

The party wishing to end the agreement must give notice within one month of the property becoming unliveable and the agreement may end on the day the notice is given.

For certain reasons specified in the Act, property managers/owners and tenants/residents can apply to QCAT for a termination order to end the tenancy.

If a sole tenant/resident dies, the tenant/resident’s personal representative or relative can negotiate with the property manager/owner to end the tenancy. The end date of the agreement will depend on the action taken. The options are:

• The property manager/owner can issue a notice to the tenant’s personal representative.
• The tenant’s personal representative can issue a notice to the property manager/owner.
• Parties can negotiate a mutually agreed end date.
• The property manager/owner can make an urgent application to QCAT to determine an end date.

If no notice is given or no agreement is made, the tenancy ends:

• 1 month after the sole tenant’s death for general tenancies and moveable dwellings.
• 2 days after the sole tenant’s death for short term moveable dwelling agreements.
• 14 days after the sole resident’s death for rooming accommodation. 

For more information, see death of a tenant or lessor.

If either party has not complied with a QCAT order, including repair orders, the other party can end the tenancy. This reason does not apply to rooming accommodation.

Either party may end the agreement if the tenant/resident is renting student accommodation and stops being a student, ending their entitlement to the accommodation.

This reason applies to purpose-built, off-campus student accommodation. It does not apply to general residential property such as share houses or moveable dwellings where tenants may or may not be students.

A tenancy may be ended if the property has been compulsorily acquired by an authority. For rooming accommodation agreements, only providers/managers can use this reason to end an agreement.

Provided the correct notice has been given, a short term moveable dwelling agreement can be ended:

• at the end of the base period or
• if a short tenancy extension has been made, the end of the extended period.

The ending of a fixed term agreement is a valid reason for ending a fixed term tenancy providing the correct notice has been given. 

A notice can be issued up to the day before the end of a fixed term tenancy. The tenancy will not revert to a periodic tenancy providing the correct timeframe has been applied. The tenant/resident can vacate on or after the tenancy end date but before the notice to leave expires, providing they have given appropriate notice. 

For example:

• a fixed term tenancy expires on 15 November
• the property manager/owner issues a Notice to leave on 14 November, providing 2 months notice to leave
• after 15 November the tenancy does not revert to a periodic tenancy
• the tenant/residents have until the expiry date on the notice to vacate,
• if the tenant/residents want to vacate earlier, they can issue a Notice of intention to leave without grounds with 14 days notice.

The property manager/owner may end the agreement if the owner or their relative needs to occupy the property. 

This reason cannot be used:

• to end a rooming accommodation agreement
• to end a short term moveable dwelling agreement
• to end a fixed term agreement early.

Property managers/owners must not let or offer a residential tenancy for 6 months after the handover day of the tenancy. Penalties apply.

The property manager/owner may end the agreement if the property is being converted to another use and will no longer be used for residential tenancies. 

This reason cannot be used:

• to end a short term moveable dwelling agreement
• to end a fixed term agreement early.

The property manager/owner must not let or offer a residential tenancy for 6 months after the handover day of the tenancy agreement. Penalties apply.

If tenant/resident occupies a property under their terms of employment, the property manager/owner may end the agreement if the employment or entitlement to occupy under employment has ended (subject to any relevant industrial award or agreement).

For general tenancy agreements, this reason may only be used if the property owner is the chief executive of the department in which the Housing Act 2003 is administered, acting on behalf of the state, or a community housing provider. 

The department or community housing provider may give a Notice to leave (Form 12) if they reasonably believe the tenant, an occupant, a guest of the tenant or a person allowed on the property by the tenant has done any of the relevant actions under section 290A of the RTRA Act.

In all other general tenancy agreements, if the property manager/owner wants to end a tenancy due to a serious breach they must apply to QCAT for a termination order. 

For rooming accommodation, if a resident has caused a serious breach the property manager/provider may ask the resident to leave immediately. The notice must be in writing. For information about what is considered a serious breach, see removing a resident from rooming accommodation.

The property manager/owner may end the agreement if they intend to carry out significant renovations, or the property requires significant repairs, and the repairs/renovations cannot be safely carried out while the tenant/resident occupies the property. 

This reason cannot be used:

• to end short term moveable dwelling agreements
• to end a fixed term agreement early.

For rooming accommodation, the ability to issue a notice for this reason depends on whether the repairs or renovations can be effectively, efficiently and safely carried out while the resident occupies the property or room.

The RTA recommends that the property manager/owner provides information alongside the notice to leave to support their claim that significant repairs or renovations require the tenant/resident to vacate the property.

The property manager/owner may end the agreement if the property is to be demolished or required to be vacant for a planned partial demolition or redevelopment.

This reason cannot be used to end a fixed term tenancy agreement early.

The property manager/owner may end the agreement when the tenant is no longer eligible:

• for the approved supported accommodation
• to receive assistance under the affordable housing scheme
• to occupy the particular property under the approval or scheme.

This reason does not apply to rooming accommodation.

If the premises are subject to a mortgage, and the mortgagee has become entitled to obtain possession of the property, the mortgagee can end the agreement by issuing the tenants/residents with a Notice to vacate from mortgagee to tenants (Form 19) or a Notice to vacate from mortgagee to resident (Form R19).

This may occur where a lessor/provider is unable to pay their mortgage and the bank takes possession of the property to sell it.

After receiving the notice, tenants/residents can vacate the premises at any time and are not liable for rent once they have left the premises.

If a property manager/owner believes, on reasonable grounds, that the property with a general tenancy or moveable dwelling agreement has been abandoned, they may:

• give an Abandonment termination notice (Form 15) to the tenant or
• apply to QCAT to end the tenancy agreement.

For rooming accommodation, a manager/provider may enter a resident’s room without notice if they reasonably believe the room has been abandoned. Indications that a resident has abandoned their room include: 

• failure to pay rent
• uncollected mail
• reports from other residents
• the absence of household goods in the room
• failure to respond to an entry notice.

The rooming accommodation agreement ends if the resident has abandoned their room and the period for which the resident has paid rent has ended.

When a property/room has been abandoned, there are steps the property manager/owner must take for abandoned property and goods.

The property manager/owner may end the agreement if the property is required for use under a program administered by the state under an Act.

This reason cannot be used:

• to end a rooming accommodation agreement
• to end a short term moveable dwelling agreement
• to end a fixed term agreement early.

A tenancy may be ended if a community title scheme is terminated. For more information, see the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997.

The property manager/owner of a moveable dwelling may end the agreement if the moveable dwelling park is to be closed or if the park premises is to be changed to another use. For more information, see the moveable dwelling park closure fact sheet.

The property manager/owner of a moveable dwelling may end the agreement if the tenant fails to comply with a notice to relocate to another site within the required period. For more information, see rules and change of site in a caravan park.

Tenants/residents may end a tenancy agreement at the end of the fixed term or during a periodic agreement without giving a reason. This reason is not the same as breaking a lease.

If a tenant/resident is experiencing domestic and family violence and needs to end their tenancy and apply for their bond refund, there are options available. See domestic violence in a rental property.

The tenant/resident may give notice to end the tenancy within the first 7 days of occupying the property under the agreement if the:

• property is not fit for the tenant/resident to live in
• property or its inclusions are not in good repair
• property manager/owner is in breach of a law dealing with issues about the health or safety of persons using or entering the property
• property or its inclusions do not comply with minimum housing standards.

The tenant/resident may not use this reason if the circumstances mentioned above were caused by an action or failure of the tenant/resident.

This reason does not apply to short term moveable dwellings.

A tenant/resident may end a tenancy when a co-tenant/co-resident dies. For general tenancy and moveable dwelling agreements, this reason can only be used if continuing the agreement would:

• be impractical for the remaining tenant or
• cause the remaining tenant excessive hardship.

When using this reason to end a rooming accommodation agreement, the limitations above do not apply.

This reason does not apply to short term moveable dwellings.

For more information, see death of a tenant or lessor.