RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES ACT 1997

Table of Provisions

• Long Title

PART 1--PRELIMINARY

• 1 Name of Act  
• 2 Dictionary  
• 3 Notes  
• 3A Offences against Act—application of Criminal Code etc  
• 4 Application of Act  
• 4A Objects of Act  

PART 1A--MEANING OF RESIDENTIAL TENANCY AGREEMENT

• 5 Who is a lessor?  
• 6 Who is a tenant?  
• 6AA Who is a co-tenant?  
• 6A What is a residential tenancy agreement?  
• 6B Residential tenancy agreement if agreement written and says it is residential tenancy  
• 6C Residential tenancy agreement if agreement part of employment  
• 6D Certain kinds of agreements not residential tenancy agreements  
• 6E Certain people given right of occupation not tenants  
• 7 When does residential tenancy agreement start?  

PART 2--RESIDENTIAL TENANCY AGREEMENTS

Division 2.1--Terms of agreement

• 8 Terms included in residential tenancy agreements  
• 9 Inconsistent tenancy terms void  
• 10 Endorsement of inconsistent tenancy terms by ACAT  

Division 2.2--Precontractual obligations

• 10A Meaning of publish—div 2.2  
• 11 Compliance  
• 11A Energy efficiency rating—advertising  
• 11AA Certain special conditions must be advertised  
• 11AAA Adaptable housing—advertising  
• 11AB Minimum housing standards—advertising and disclosure  
• 11AC Lessor or agent must advertise rental rate for premises  
• 11AD Lessor or agent must not solicit rent bidding  
• 11B Smoke alarms  
• 12 Lessor's obligations  
• 13 Tenant's obligations  
• 14 Agent's obligations  

Division 2.3--Consideration

• 15 Rent or a bond only  
• 16 Alternative to a bond—guarantee or indemnity  
• 18 Holding deposits  

Division 2.4--Lessor's obligations on signing agreement

• 19 Copy of agreement to be given to tenant  

Division 2.5--Minimum housing standards

• 19A Minimum housing standards  
• 19B Lessor's obligations about minimum housing standards  
• 19C Lessor must keep records about minimum housing standards  

PART 3--BONDS

Division 3.1--Payment of bonds

• 20 Maximum amount payable  
• 21 Only 1 bond per residential tenancy agreement  
• 22 Successive residential tenancy agreements  

Division 3.2--Depositing bond

• 23 Deposit of bond by lessor  
• 24 Deposit of bond by tenant  
• 25 Notice about deposit  
• 26 Acknowledgment of receipt of bond money  
• 27 Payment of bond money into trust account  
• 28 Interest on amounts in trust account  

Division 3.3--Condition of premises and deductions from bond

• 29 Condition report—start of tenancy  
• 30 Evidence of condition of premises  
• 30A Final inspection and condition report—end of tenancy  
• 31 Deductions from bond  

Division 3.4--Release of bond money

• 32 Definitions—div 3.4  
• 33 Bond release application—general  
• 34 Bond release application—lessor's obligations  
• 34A Bond release application—joint application  
• 34B Bond release application—application by tenant  
• 34C Bond release application—application by lessor  
• 34D Bond release application before end of agreement  
• 34E Bond release application—ACAT order  
• 34F Bond release application—discrepancy in named tenant  
• 35 Disputes about all or part of bond  

PART 3A--CO-TENANCIES

• 35A Co-tenant may leave residential tenancy agreement  
• 35B Repayment of bond to leaving co-tenant  
• 35C Becoming a co-tenant under existing residential tenancy  
• 35D Co-tenancy on application to ACAT  
• 35E Becoming a co-tenant under existing residential tenancy agreement—social housing  
• 35F Payment of bond by new co-tenant  
• 35G ACAT orders—co-tenancy matters  

PART 4--TERMINATION OF RESIDENTIAL TENANCY AGREEMENTS

Division 4.1--General

• 36 Termination  
• 37 Entry for eviction purposes  
• 38 General duty to mitigate  
• 39 Content of termination and possession orders  

Division 4.2--Warrants for eviction

• 40 Content of warrant  
• 41 Warrant—termination and possession order  

Division 4.3--Termination initiated by tenant

• 43 Breach of standard residential tenancy terms  
• 44 Significant hardship  
• 45 Damage, injury or intention to damage or injure  
• 45A Threats, harassment, intimidation or abuse by lessor etc  
• 46 False or misleading statements  
• 46AA Termination of agreement for failure to comply with minimum housing  
• 46A Termination of agreement for aged care or social housing needs  
• 46B Termination of fixed term agreements if premises for sale  

Division 4.4--Termination initiated by lessor

• 47 No breach of standard residential tenancy terms  
• 48 Certain breaches of standard residential tenancy terms  
• 49 Failure to pay rent—termination and possession order  
• 49A Failure to pay rent—payment order  
• 49B Failure to comply with payment order  
• 49C Hearing of application—failure to comply with payment order  
• 50 Significant hardship  
• 51 Damage, injury or intention to damage or injure  
• 51A Threats, harassment, intimidation or abuse by tenant  
• 52 False or misleading statements  
• 53 Employer-provided accommodation  
• 54 Purported co-tenancy, assignment or subletting  
• 55 Repudiation without vacation  
• 55A Affected residential premises  
• 55B Eligible impacted property  
• 56 Compensation to lessor  
• 57 Retaliatory applications  

Division 4.5--Defective termination notices

• 58 Lessor's defective termination notice if tenant vacates  
• 59 Lessor's defective termination notice if tenant does not vacate  
• 60 Tenant's defective termination notice  

Division 4.6--Abandonment of premises

• 61 Effect of abandonment  
• 61A Lessor may enter premises to confirm abandonment  
• 62 Abandonment during fixed term  
• 63 Abandonment during periodic agreement  

Division 4.7--Miscellaneous

• 64 Successor in title to lessor  
• 64AA Termination—affected residential premises  
• 64AB Termination—eligible impacted property  
• 64AC No new residential tenancy agreements etc for affected residential  
• 64AD Disallowing retaliatory notices to vacate  

PART 5--RENTAL RATE INCREASES

• 64A Standard residential tenancy term—increase in rent  
• 64B Limitation on rent increases  
• 64C Tenant may apply for review  
• 65 Waiver of notice requirements  
• 66 Freezing rents  
• 68 Guideline for orders  
• 68A Orders  
• 69 Effect of orders  
• 70 Further increases  
• 71 Reduction of existing rent  
• 71AAA Rent reduction for lessor's failure to comply with a minimum housing  

PART 5AA--LESSOR'S CONSENT IN CERTAIN MATTERS

• 71AA Definitions—pt 5AA  
• 71AB Process for tenant seeking consent—modifications generally  
• 71AC Lessor to apply to ACAT for refusal—special modifications  
• 71AD Tenant may apply to ACAT for review of refusal—other  
• 71AE Process for tenant seeking consent—animals  
• 71AF Lessor to apply to ACAT for refusal—animals  
• 71AG Limitation on lessor's liability  

PART 5A--OCCUPANCY AGREEMENTS

• 71A Who is a grantor?  
• 71B Who is an occupant?  
• 71C What is an occupancy agreement?  
• 71CA Certain types of agreements not occupancy agreements  
• 71CB Occupancy agreement—smoke alarms  
• 71D When does an occupancy start and end?  
• 71E Application of occupancy principles  
• 71EA Occupancy principles  
• 71EB Condition report  
• 71EC Payment of security deposit  
• 71ED Security deposit must be lodged with Territory  
• 71EE Deductions from security deposit  
• 71EF Receipts for certain payments  
• 71EG Occupancy rules, fees, charges and penalties  
• 71EH Occupant's access to occupancy premises  
• 71EI Information about dispute resolution processes  
• 71EJ Entry by grantor to occupancy premises  
• 71EK Termination of occupancy agreement  
• 71EL Warrant for eviction—vacant possession order  
• 71EM Occupancy agreement—abandonment of premises  
• 71F Regulations about occupancy agreements  

PART 5B--RESIDENTIAL PARKS

Division 5B--.1 Definitions—pt 5B

• 71H Definitions—pt 5B  

Division 5B--.2 Shared park facilities

• 71I Access to shared park facilities  

Division 5B--.3 Assignment of interests

• 71J Definitions—div 5B.3  
• 71K Assignment in residential park permitted with consent  
• 71L Consent to assignment  
• 71M Effect of assignment  

Division 5B--.4 Sale of manufactured homes and mobile homes

• 71N Sale of home located on residential park site  
• 71O Home to be removed from park if no site agreement once sold  

PART 6--RESOLUTION OF RESIDENTIAL TENANCY AND OCCUPANCY DISPUTES

Division 6.1--Important concepts

• 72 Meaning of tenancy dispute  
• 73 Meaning of occupancy dispute  
• 74 Other options for dispute resolution  

Division 6.2--Action by registrar

• 75 Assistance with inquiries about residential tenancy and occupancy  

Division 6.3--Jurisdiction of ACAT—this Act, standard residential tenancy terms and standard occupancy terms

• 76 Jurisdiction of ACAT under this Act etc  
• 77 Saving of court jurisdiction  
• 78 Extended jurisdiction of ACAT with agreement of parties  

Division 6.4--Applications to ACAT

• 79 Who may apply to ACAT?  
• 80 Applications to ACAT by children—application of this Act etc  

Division 6.5--Powers and decisions of ACAT

• 81 ACAT to assist parties to tenancy and occupancy disputes  
• 82 Disputes about agreements no longer in force  
• 83 Orders by ACAT  
• 84 Notice of intention to vacate—award of compensation  

Division 6.5A--Powers and decisions of ACAT—protection orders

• 85 Definitions—div 6.5A  
• 85A New tenancy agreement—family violence and protection  
• 85B Applications under s 85A—ACAT orders  

Division 6.6--Enforcement of ACAT orders

• 86 Failure to comply with ACAT orders  

PART 7--RESIDENTIAL TENANCY DATABASES

• 87 Definitions—pt 7  
• 88 Application—pt 7  
• 89 Notice of usual use of database  
• 90 Notice of listing if database used  
• 91 Listing can be made only for certain breaches by certain people  
• 92 Further restriction on listing  
• 93 Ensuring quality of listing—lessor's or agent's  
• 94 Ensuring quality of listing—database operator's  
• 95 Providing copy of personal information listed  
• 96 Notifying relevant non-parties of tribunal order about listing  
• 97 Keeping personal information listed  
• 98 Application to ACAT about contravention  
• 99 Application to ACAT about certain personal information listed in residential tenancy  
• 100 Application to ACAT about proposed listing of personal information  
• 101 Order for compensation  

PART 8--REGISTRATION OF STANDARD GUARANTEE CONTRACT FOR COMMERCIAL GUARANTEE

• 102 Meaning of commercial guarantee and standard guarantee  
• 103 Application for registration of standard guarantee contract  
• 104 Commissioner must decide application  
• 105 Register of standard guarantee contracts  
• 106 Relationship to Australian Consumer Law (ACT)  

PART 9--MISCELLANEOUS

• 126 Declared crisis accommodation provider  
• 127 Death of co-tenant  
• 127A Transfer of public housing under will  
• 128 Purported co-tenancy, assignment or subletting  
• 131 Proceedings by children  
• 132 Enforcing agreements by or against children  
• 133 Approved forms—Minister  
• 134 Determination of fees  
• 136 Regulation-making power  

PART 19--TRANSITIONAL--RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES LEGISLATION AMENDMENT ACT 2023

• 163 Notice to vacate served before commencement day continues in force  
• 163A Fixed term agreement entered into before commencement day  
• 164 Expiry—pt 19  
• SCHEDULE 1
• SCHEDULE 2
DICTIONARY ENDNOTES