What tenant rights should movers know in Australia in 2026?

Pay the bond only through the path that lodges it with the state authority (for example NSW Fair Trading, the Victorian Residential Tenancies Bond Authority, or Queensland’s RTA). Caps commonly sit around four weeks’ rent in several states, with local variations. Keep the lodgement receipt. Complete the condition report with dated photos on move-in day: Rental contracts and deposits.

Insist on a written residential tenancy agreement that matches the state’s standard terms. Holding deposits and application fees follow local limits; cash-only “guarantees” to personal accounts are a scam pattern: Avoid rental scams and How to rent a home.

Landlords must keep premises reasonably habitable and respond to urgent and non-urgent repairs on state timelines. Agents need proper notice before routine entry except in emergencies. Rent increase rules, pet request processes, and end-of-lease notices differ by jurisdiction, so read the guide for the state you rent in rather than a Facebook group from another capital: Rent in Australia.

Disputes go to the local tribunal or authority pathway (examples include NCAT in NSW and VCAT in Victoria). Strata by-laws bind tenants in apartments even when levies are the owner’s bill: Condominium fees. Furnished and student products still sit under residential tenancy law when they are true leases rather than hotel licences: Furnished rentals.