Mount Isa rental law reforms

If you’re a Mount Isa landlord or tenant, or you’re thinking of becoming one, then it’s important to understand new laws that came into effect on 30 September this year, as well as laws that will commence on 1 May 2025.

Read on to find out everything you need to know to ensure your legal compliance with Queensland and Mt Isa rental law reforms.

Reforms to rent and other tenant payments

Three reforms were implemented on 30 September 2024 that impact rent and other tenant payments:
1. Rent payments
2. Utility bills
3. Re-letting costs

Let’s look at each reform in turn:

1. Rent payments
Landlords (or their property managers) must offer tenants at least two ways of paying rent, including one that doesn’t incur anything other than standard bank fees and that is “reasonably available” to the tenant.

2. Utility bills
Landlords (or their property managers) must provide any utility bill that a tenant needs to pay within four weeks of receiving it. If this 4-week timeframe requirement isn’t met, then the tenant isn’t legally required to pay the bill and it will be the responsibility of the landlord.

Reforms have also been made to how hot water charges are calculated on rental properties and how they can be charged when a tenancy begins or ends during a billing cycle.

3. Re-letting costs on fixed term rental agreements
Reforms have been implemented that require re-letting costs on fixed term agreements to be the lower amount of:

  • the specified reletting costs in the lease agreement versus the amount of rent foregone until a new tenant moves in.

Reforms to rental bond payments and claims

Two rental bond process reforms were implemented on 30 September 2024:
1. Maximum bond
2. Bond claim requirements.

Let’s look at the impact of each reform in turn:

1. Maximum bond
Landlords (or their property managers) can charge a maximum of four weeks’ rent on a property as a rental bond.

2. Bond claim requirements
When making a bond claim or disputing a bond refund, landlords (or their property managers) must provide tenants with evidence within 14 days to support their bond claim or dispute.

Reforms to rental law and regulation enforcement

Two reforms regarding rental law and regulation enforcement came into effect on 30 September 2024:
1. Information sharing
2. False and misleading information

Let’s look at the impact of each reform in turn:

1. Information sharing
The Queensland Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) now has the power to share information with other government departments and agencies to ensure both landlord and tenant compliance with Queensland rental law legislation.

2. False or misleading information
It is now an offence for either landlords or tenants in Queensland to provide either false or misleading information to the RTA.

Mount Isa rental reforms coming on 1 May 2025

A further round of Queensland rental reforms are scheduled to be implemented on 1 May 2025 that will also impact Mount Isa landlords and tenants. These reforms include:

  • reforms to rental property application processes.
  • changes to the personal information of tenants that can be collected by landlords or their property managers, as well as how it can be used.
  • financial benefit disclosure requirements for rent and other payments received by landlords or their property managers.
  • changes to landlord/property manager entry notice and entry frequency regulations.
  • revised requirements for tenant fixture and structural change requests for rental properties, along with subsequent landlord/property manager response times.

Further details on these reforms will be provided closer to their 1 May 2025 implementation date.

The bottom line

Complying with Queensland rental law reforms is a legal obligation of both Mount Isa landlords and tenants.

About us

Jays Real Estate has been Mount Isa’s premier commercial and residential real estate agency since 1981.

If you’re thinking about buying, selling, renting or leasing any Mt Isa property, or you need your property professionally managed, then contact our team today for an obligation-free chat!

We’d be happy to provide you with advice and to answer any property questions you have.