A written agreement must always be used when renting, even if the person renting is family or a friend. It is a legally binding written contract that outlines the legal rights and responsibilities of a tenant and property manager/owner. It applies to everyone renting the property (e.g. those in share homes or co-tenancies).

It is the property manager/owner’s responsibility to organise the agreement and give a copy to the tenant before they pay any money or commit to the tenancy.

A tenancy agreement must include:

• the name and address of the tenant and property manager/owner
• the start and end date of the agreement (or state that it is periodic)
• how the tenant should pay rent and how much is to be paid
• contact details for nominated repairers
• date of the last rent increase for the premesis
• standard terms (what the tenant and the property manager/owner can and cannot do)
• any special terms (these should be agreed in advance, e.g. who is responsible for pool maintenance).

It is an offence under the Act to increase the rent in less than 12 months. The 12-month period applies even if the last rent increase was related to a different tenancy agreement with another tenant or by a previous manager or owner of the property.

The date of the last rent increase must be included in the tenancy agreement. Tenants have the right to request written proof of the last rent increase during the tenancy, and the property manager or owner must provide this information within 14 days. However, these requirements do not apply in the following cases:

• Exempt Lessors: the Act outlines who qualifies as an exempt lessor.  
• For properties purchased between 6 June 2023 and 6 June 2025: the requirement to include the date of the last rent increase in the tenancy agreement and to provide evidence of a rent increase upon the tenant’s request does not apply if the new owner or property manager does not have information about the previous rent increase.
• For properties being rented for the first time: the date of the last rent increase is the date the property is first rented.

Note: A property manager/owner is considered to have evidence of the last rent increase if they or their agent (such as a real estate agent, property manager, or lawyer) has this information.  

For more information, please visit our Rent increases webpage.