It is important to be familiar with these changes and the rights and responsibilities of tenants, owners, property managers, onsite managers and Body Corporate Committees in respect to the changes to Qld tenancy laws.
From the 1st October, there are specific changes around the following;
- Ending tenancies
- Renting with pets
- Repairs and Maintenance
- Entry Condition Report
Ending Tenancies
Ending tenancies ‘without grounds’ will no longer be an option from 1/10/22. The reason for ending a tenancy must be specified from an approved list of options. This list of approved reasons differs slightly for owners/managers compared with tenants, with some additional options available to tenants. It is important that you are familiar with these options under the new Qld tenancy laws and the associated notice periods required for ending a tenancy.
Renting with Pets
Renting with pets will still require approval from both the owner and the Body Corporate Committee (if applicable).
It will no longer be acceptable for an owner to simply state “no pets allowed”. Owners will have a 1 week period to approve a pet in writing, and cannot refuse without a very good reason. If the owner does not respond within a week, it is understood that the pet is approved.
Naturally this doesn’t apply if the pet request is outside local council or Body Corporate Regulations.
A tenant must also seek approval for a pet from the Body Corporate, and the Body Corporate Committee has a period of 6 weeks to respond to this request. Again, it is important that the Body Corporate can justify their response with a good reason. It is imperative that Body Corporates ensure that their by-laws have clear regulations surrounding pets inbuilt to simplify and clarify this process. If there is no By-Law requiring Body Corporate Approval, then approval of a pet is automatic.
Reasonable conditions can be imposed on a pet approval, however pet ‘bonds’ are not allowed.
Repairs and Maintenance
Repair Orders have been introduced in the new Qld tenancy laws to ensure repairs and maintenance, both emergency and routine, are addressed in a timely manner. The normal repair and maintenance process should be followed, however, if this breaks down and repairs aren’t completed in a timely manner, tenants can apply through QCAT for a repair order.
If a tenant leaves when a repair order is in place, that repair order must be disclosed on the new tenancy.
Entry Condition Report
The time frame for completion and return of an Entry Condition Report has been extended from 3 days to 7 days.
Please note that this is a brief summary of the changes and may not be exhaustive. It is important that you familiarize yourself with the changes in legislation and the implications for you as a property manager and also for your Body Corporate Committee.
More information and resources on these changes available at www.rta.qld.gov.au/Oct2022-changes.
Also check out previous blog posts on changes to the bond refund process.
