ACT Rental Law Changes 2023–2025: What Canberra Property Managers Need to Know and Do Now

The ACT's residential tenancy laws have changed substantially in the past three years. The changes have arrived in two distinct waves, and together they affect how property managers handle tenancy terminations, rent reviews, application processes, end-of-fixed-term renewals, and the condition report process itself.

The first wave — the Residential Tenancies (Strengthening Renter Protections) Amendment Act — took effect on 1 April 2023. It made the ACT the first Australian jurisdiction to eliminate all forms of no-cause eviction and to prohibit rent bidding. These changes fundamentally altered how landlords can end tenancies and how properties are marketed.

The second wave came through the Housing and Consumer Affairs Legislation Amendment Act 2024 (A2024-29), with the main provisions commencing on 10 December 2024 and 9 January 2025. This package tightened the 12-month rent increase rule so that it applies in all circumstances, updated the standard residential tenancy terms under Schedule 1 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997, and introduced a new requirement for landlords of units and townhouses to provide a unit title rental certificate before a tenancy can begin. Further technical amendments followed through A2025-2, A2025-22, and A2025-29.

This guide works through the key reforms in the order they took effect, focusing on what each change requires property managers to do differently. It is written as a practical compliance guide, not legal advice. For complex or borderline situations, contact Access Canberra at access.act.gov.au, or consult a legal practitioner familiar with the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (ACT).

All references are to the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (ACT) as amended, with guidance current as of June 2026.

The most significant structural change in ACT tenancy law in recent years took effect on 1 April 2023: no-cause evictions were removed from the Residential Tenancies Act 1997. The ACT became the first Australian jurisdiction to make this change.

Before this date, landlords in the ACT could issue a notice to vacate at the end of a fixed-term tenancy without providing any specific reason — this was the standard "end of fixed term" notice. They could also end a periodic tenancy without a stated cause. Both options are now gone.

From 1 April 2023, every Notice to Vacate issued by an ACT landlord or property manager must cite a specific legitimate ground set out in the Act or the Standard Residential Tenancy Terms under Schedule 1. A notice that does not state a valid ground is invalid.

The permitted grounds for landlord-initiated termination of a periodic tenancy fall into two broad categories:

No-fault grounds (grounds unrelated to the tenant's conduct) include the lessor or their immediate family intending to move into and occupy the property, the lessor intending to sell the property, and the lessor intending to reconstruct, repair, or renovate the premises in a way that cannot practically be done while the tenant is living there. Each no-fault ground carries its own minimum notice period: 8 weeks notice applies where the lessor or family member intends to occupy or where the lessor intends to sell; 12 weeks notice applies where the reason is reconstruction, repair, or renovation. All no-fault notices must be accompanied by written evidence supporting the ground — for example, a statutory declaration, a signed sales contract, or council-approved building plans.

Fault-based grounds relate to the tenant's conduct, such as serious breach of a tenancy agreement term, significant damage to the property, or use of the premises for an illegal purpose. Fault-based terminations typically require an application to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT), and a breach notice giving the tenant an opportunity to remedy the breach before any termination notice is issued.

An important procedural protection: under section 57 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997, ACAT must not make a termination and possession order if it is satisfied the application is retaliatory — for example, issued in response to a tenant making a complaint, requesting repairs, or exercising another legal right. Where a notice to vacate follows closely after a tenant complaint or a formal request, document the basis for the notice independently and contemporaneously.

For property managers, this change means that every termination now requires a documented, valid ground before the notice goes out. Review your Notice to Vacate templates to confirm they include a field for the statutory ground and accompanying evidence. A landlord who wants to end a tenancy for a reason that does not match a permitted ground has no legal mechanism to do so — the tenancy continues.

The same April 2023 reforms also prohibited rent bidding in the ACT. Landlords and property managers cannot solicit, encourage, or accept offers of rent above the advertised price for a residential tenancy. Properties must be advertised at a fixed rental amount.

If a prospective tenant voluntarily offers to pay more than the listed rent — even without any encouragement from the agent — accepting that offer is a breach of the legislation. The prohibition operates regardless of which party initiated the arrangement.

In practice, this means rental appraisals and listing prices must represent the amount you actually intend to charge. Review your listing templates, application workflows, and any verbal instructions given at open inspections to ensure nothing — explicit or implied — invites above-list offers. Where a property is genuinely attracting strong demand that suggests the listed price is too low, the correct response is to adjust the advertised price before accepting applications, not to invite competition among applicants.

From 10 December 2024, new standard residential tenancy terms apply to all residential tenancy agreements in the ACT under the updated Schedule 1 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997. These terms are implied by law into every tenancy agreement — they apply regardless of whether the written lease document refers to them, and they cannot be overridden by an agreement between the parties.

The December 2024 update to Schedule 1 forms part of the Housing and Consumer Affairs Legislation Amendment Act 2024 (A2024-29). The updated terms cover the full range of tenancy obligations and rights, including maintenance and repair obligations, access for inspections, subletting, and the processes for requesting modifications to the property. They replace the previous standard terms that had been in place under Schedule 1.

For property managers, the practical implication is that the terms implied into every tenancy agreement from 10 December 2024 onwards are those set out in the updated Schedule 1. Lease documents drafted against the previous standard terms should be reviewed and updated. Custom clauses in your lease templates that conflict with the updated standard terms are unenforceable to the extent of the conflict. Access Canberra publishes the current Schedule 1 terms at access.act.gov.au.

For existing tenancies that commenced before 10 December 2024, the updated standard terms applied to those agreements from the commencement date — not just to new leases. This means the current terms govern every active tenancy in the ACT, not just leases signed after December 2024.

The December 2024 amendments tightened the rent increase frequency rule so that it applies in all circumstances — including when a tenant enters a new tenancy agreement for the same property.

Previously, while there was a general restriction on rent increase frequency, there was a gap: when a fixed-term tenancy ended and the parties entered a new lease at the same address, the rent for the new agreement could be set at a higher amount without the 12-month restriction applying, effectively treating the new agreement as a fresh start.

From 10 December 2024, that gap is closed. Rent for a residential tenancy in the ACT can only be increased once in any 12-month period, regardless of whether the tenancy is ongoing, converting from fixed-term to periodic, or renewing at the same property. A new lease between the same parties at the same property does not reset the clock on the 12-month restriction.

What this means in practice: if rent was last increased on 1 November 2024, the next increase cannot take effect until at least 1 November 2025 — even if the fixed-term lease expired in between and a new lease was signed. The date of the last rent increase is the operative trigger, not the date the current lease commenced.

For property managers, this change requires tracking the date of the last rent increase for every property, independently of the lease commencement date. Build the last rent increase date into your property management system for each tenancy. Where a tenant is renewing, check whether a rent adjustment at renewal would breach the 12-month restriction before including a new rent in the renewal documentation. An increase that takes effect less than 12 months after the previous increase is a breach of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997.

The most operationally novel change in the December 2024/January 2025 package is the requirement for landlords of units and townhouses to provide a unit title rental certificate to the incoming tenant before entering a residential tenancy agreement. This requirement commenced on 9 January 2025.

A unit title rental certificate is a document issued by the owners corporation for a strata-titled property. It contains information about the unit's financial standing within the strata scheme — specifically, whether any levies or fees are outstanding for that unit, and other prescribed financial information the prospective tenant is entitled to know before committing to a tenancy.

The process works as follows. A landlord who owns a unit or townhouse must request a unit title rental certificate from the owners corporation before entering a tenancy agreement. The fee for a certificate is set by the Minister; as of 2025 it is $332 per certificate. Once requested, the owners corporation has 14 days to provide the certificate. If the owners corporation does not have the necessary information at the time of the request, it has up to 6 weeks to prepare and provide it. The landlord must then provide that certificate to the prospective tenant before the tenancy agreement is executed — not after.

Failure to provide the certificate before the agreement is signed is a breach of the obligation. ACAT has expanded powers under the December 2024 amendments to address non-compliance with disclosure requirements, including the unit title rental certificate obligation.

For property managers, this introduces a pre-tenancy checklist item that was not required before 9 January 2025. For every unit or townhouse property in your portfolio:

• Confirm with the landlord whether the property is strata-titled.
• If yes, request a unit title rental certificate from the owners corporation before advertising the property for a new tenancy.
• Factor the 14-day (or 6-week) certificate production timeframe into your leasing timeline — do not finalise and sign a tenancy agreement until the certificate is in hand.
• Provide the certificate to the prospective tenant as part of the pre-tenancy disclosure package.

Freestanding houses are not subject to the unit title rental certificate requirement. The obligation applies to strata-titled dwellings: units in apartment buildings and townhouses within strata schemes.

From 10 December 2024, all fixed-term residential tenancy agreements in the ACT must include a clause setting out the break lease fee that applies if the tenant ends the tenancy before the fixed term expires. The break lease fee clause is now a required term — an agreement that does not include it is non-compliant with the standard residential tenancy terms under Schedule 1.

The fee structure under section 89A of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (ACT) is as follows:

For fixed-term leases of three years or less: the break lease fee is six weeks rent if the tenant ends the tenancy when less than half of the fixed term has elapsed. If more than half of the fixed term has already passed, the fee is four weeks rent. Where the landlord finds a replacement tenant before the fixed term would have ended, the fee payable by the outgoing tenant is reduced by the amount of rent the landlord recovers from the replacement tenant during the period that would otherwise have been covered by the break lease fee.

For fixed-term leases of more than three years: the break lease fee is the amount agreed between the parties in the tenancy agreement.

For property managers, the mandatory break lease fee clause means your standard fixed-term lease template must explicitly state the applicable fee structure. A lease that is silent on this point — or that includes a clause inconsistent with section 89A — does not comply with the December 2024 standard terms. Review and update your templates if you have not already done so.

Where a tenant triggers the break lease process, document the date of the early termination notice, calculate the fee based on the proportion of the term elapsed, and track any rent recovered from a replacement tenant that reduces the fee payable by the outgoing tenant. Keep this calculation on file in case it is disputed at ACAT.

The December 2024 amendments introduced clearer and more direct protections for tenants who are victim-survivors of domestic and family violence (DFV). A tenant who has experienced domestic or family violence can now end their tenancy agreement immediately and without being required to pay a break lease fee.

The mechanism allows an eligible tenant to terminate their interest in the tenancy by giving written notice to the landlord in the approved form, along with supporting documentation. The process is designed so that the DFV-affected tenant can leave quickly, without the financial barrier of a break lease fee and without needing to wait out a notice period that could expose them to continued harm.

For property managers, the practical implication is that a DFV termination notice received in the approved form must be processed as a legitimate termination — no break lease fee applies, and the tenancy ends in accordance with the notice. A landlord who seeks to claim a break lease fee from a tenant who has properly exercised a DFV termination right would be in breach of the Act.

If a co-tenant who did not experience the violence remains in the property, the outcome for that co-tenant depends on the circumstances — this is a situation where legal advice is appropriate rather than a self-managed resolution.

Several of the reforms that have taken effect since 2023 intersect directly with condition report and inspection practice in ways that are worth understanding as a connected system.

The December 2024 amendments confirmed that when landlords and tenants enter into a series of successive tenancy agreements for the same property — for example, a fixed-term lease followed by a renewal — the parties can use the same property condition report from the initial tenancy rather than completing a new one at each renewal. This is useful for managing long-term tenancies where the property's condition has not materially changed between leases, and where completing a full new condition report would be administratively burdensome without serving a genuine evidence purpose.

However, this provision does not mean that a condition report from a previous tenancy can be carried over unchanged where condition has materially changed, or where significant time has passed. A condition report that is years old and no longer accurately reflects the property's state is not a useful evidentiary document — at ACAT, the relevance and accuracy of the condition report at the time of the tenancy in dispute is what matters. Use the same report provision as a practical flexibility for closely successive agreements, not as a reason to avoid completing fresh reports where the property's condition warrants one.

The ACT's existing condition report requirements under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 remain in place. The lessor must provide the tenant with two paper copies of the condition report (or one electronic copy if the tenant agrees) within one business day of the tenant taking possession. The tenant then has two weeks to return one signed copy indicating agreement or disagreement with the report. For a detailed breakdown of ACT condition report requirements, see our ACT condition report requirements guide.

Pet requests also remain subject to the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (ACT). If a tenant writes to request consent to keep a pet, the landlord or property manager must either consent or apply to ACAT to refuse within 14 days of receiving the request. If no application is made to ACAT within that 14-day window, the landlord is taken to have consented to the pet. A blanket refusal that does not result in an ACAT application is not effective. For property managers managing a portfolio of ACT properties, a documented pet request process with calendar-tracked deadlines is essential to avoid inadvertent deemed consent.

If you have not reviewed your processes since April 2023, here is a structured action list organised by the change and what it requires.

For the no-cause eviction ban: Audit your Notice to Vacate template to confirm it includes a field for the statutory ground and a space for supporting evidence. Remove any reference to "end of fixed term" as a standalone basis for termination — this ground no longer exists. Train your team on the permitted grounds and their evidence requirements. When a landlord instructs you to end a tenancy, document the basis for the instruction, assess whether it corresponds to a permitted ground, and issue the notice with the correct notice period for that ground.

For the rent bidding prohibition: Confirm that no listing template, application form, or verbal instruction at open inspections invites above-list offers. Set rental prices as a fixed amount, not a range. Where demand suggests the listed price is too low, adjust the price before accepting applications.

For the updated standard residential tenancy terms: Review your standard lease template against the updated Schedule 1 terms. Replace any clause that conflicts with the updated standard terms. Confirm the lease template applies the correct December 2024 standard terms to all new agreements signed from that date onwards.

For the 12-month rent increase restriction: Add the date of the last rent increase to every tenancy record in your property management system. Build a check into your rent review workflow to confirm at least 12 months has elapsed since the last increase before issuing any rent increase notice. For renewals at the same property, confirm the last increase date before setting a new rent — a new lease does not reset the clock.

For unit title rental certificates: Identify every strata-titled unit or townhouse in your portfolio. For any new leasing campaign, request a unit title rental certificate from the owners corporation at the start of the process — not after you have found a tenant. Factor the 14-day production timeframe (or 6 weeks if the OC needs to prepare information) into your leasing timeline. Do not execute a tenancy agreement until the certificate is in your possession and has been provided to the prospective tenant.

For break lease fee clauses: Update your standard fixed-term lease template to include an explicit break lease fee clause consistent with section 89A of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997. Confirm the fee structure is stated correctly for leases of three years or less (six weeks rent if <50% of term has elapsed; four weeks rent if >50% has elapsed) and for leases of more than three years (agreed amount).

For domestic violence provisions: Establish a clear internal process for receiving and actioning DFV termination notices. Train staff to recognise the approved DFV notice form and to process it promptly. No break lease fee is payable by a tenant who properly invokes the DFV termination right.

Several of the ACT reforms reinforce the importance of high-quality condition documentation. The no-cause eviction ban means that where a landlord needs to end a tenancy on breach grounds — for example, significant damage to the property — the condition report and routine inspection record become the evidentiary foundation for that breach. ACAT's anti-retaliatory provision means the evidence must be clearly independent of any tenant complaint or repair request that preceded the notice. A contemporaneous, structured condition report is the clearest way to establish that.

The confirmed ability to reuse a condition report across a series of successive agreements also points to the value of a condition report that is sufficiently detailed and structured to remain useful over time. A brief, narrative-only report ages poorly — after twelve or eighteen months, it becomes difficult to assess how accurately it described the property at the time it was completed. A structured, photo-documented report with item-level condition ratings remains interpretable years later.

ConditionHQ generates condition reports that meet the ACT's requirements under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 — two copies for the lessor to provide to the tenant, completed at entry, with room-by-room item documentation and timestamped photographs attached to each item. When both parties' entry and exit reports are generated in the same structured format, the comparison at ACAT is clear and consistent.

For ACT property managers building a compliant practice under the 2023 and 2024 reforms, ConditionHQ offers a free tier with three full reports per month — sufficient to evaluate whether the format fits your portfolio before committing to a subscription. For detailed information on ACT condition report requirements, including bond lodgement and the ACAT dispute process, see our ACT condition report requirements guide and ACAT bond dispute guide.