QLD Condition Report Requirements: Property Manager Compliance Guide (2026)

Queensland condition report requirements are established by the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (RTRAA 2008), administered by the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA). The Act covers general residential tenancies, rooming accommodation, and moveable dwelling tenancies, with different prescribed forms for each type.

Unlike some other Australian states, Queensland prescribes specific forms that must be used. You cannot design your own template or adapt a form from another state. The RTA issues the prescribed forms and updates them when the legislation changes. From 1 September 2025, all condition reports must use the versions released under the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Regulation 2025, which replaced the 2009 Regulation.

The purpose of the QLD condition report framework is the same as in every other state: to create a dated, mutually agreed record of the property's condition at the start of a tenancy, which can be compared against the exit condition at the end to determine what changed and what (if anything) is attributable to tenant damage beyond fair wear and tear. That comparison is the evidentiary backbone of every bond claim and bond dispute resolved through RTA-assisted conciliation or at QCAT.

For property managers who also operate in other states, it is worth noting upfront that Queensland's prescribed form process differs from NSW in one significant respect: in NSW, the agent completes both the entry and exit condition reports. In Queensland, the agent completes the entry report, but the exit report is primarily completed by the tenant before they return the keys, with the agent then having three business days to inspect and note any disagreements.

Queensland has separate prescribed forms for each tenancy type and each stage of the tenancy. Using the wrong form, or an outdated version, puts you in breach of the Regulation.

Form 1a — Entry Condition Report (general tenancies): Used for houses, units, townhouses, and houseboats at the start of a general tenancy. This is the form most property managers will use most of the time. See our complete Form 1a guide for a section-by-section walkthrough of how to complete it correctly.

Form 14a — Exit Condition Report (general tenancies): Used at the end of a general tenancy to record the property's condition when the tenant vacates. The tenant completes this form before handing over keys. See our QLD exit condition report guide for the full process.

Form 14b — Exit Condition Report (moveable dwellings): Used at the end of a moveable dwelling tenancy such as a caravan, caravan site, or mobile home.

Form R1 — Condition Report (rooming accommodation): Used for individual rooms in rooming accommodation where a rental bond has been paid. The rooming accommodation provider or manager completes this form.

All current versions of these forms are available from the RTA website at rta.qld.gov.au. If you use inspection management software or a digital condition report tool, confirm with your provider that their QLD templates were updated to reflect the September 2025 Regulation. Using forms from the previous 2009 Regulation after 1 September 2025 may constitute non-compliance.

Section 65 of the RTRAA 2008 sets out the lessor's obligations for the entry condition report. The requirements are straightforward but the timing is strict:

Prepare the entry condition report in the approved form (Form 1a for a general tenancy).

Sign the completed report.

Give a copy to the tenant on or before the day the tenant occupies the premises under the tenancy agreement.

That last requirement is unambiguous: on or before the day of occupancy, not the day after, not at the first rent collection. Failing to give the tenant the entry condition report by occupancy day is an offence under the Act, carrying a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units. As of 1 July 2025, each penalty unit in Queensland is valued at $166.90, making the maximum fine $3,338 per incident. The penalty unit value is scheduled to rise to $172.70 from 1 July 2026, which would increase the maximum fine to $3,454.

Before signing and handing over Form 1a, the agent must complete the agent's section of the report: systematically inspecting every room, noting the condition of each item listed on the form, and attaching dated photographs to support the written record. Photographs are not expressly mandated by the Act, but they are standard practice and the expected evidence if the matter later proceeds to QCAT. A Form 1a without photographs is a significantly weakened Form 1a.

The entry condition report must reflect the property's condition before the tenant has access to it. Completing the report after the tenant has already moved their belongings in — even by a few hours — undermines the record. Aim to complete the entry report on the day immediately before key handover, or early in the morning of handover day before the keys are presented.

After receiving Form 1a and taking possession, the tenant enters a 7-day review period. The period runs from the later of:

The day the tenant occupies the premises, or

The day the tenant receives a copy of the entry condition report

Within these 7 days, the tenant must inspect the property, note any items where they disagree with the agent's recorded condition, sign the report, and return it to the agent or lessor.

If the tenant returns the form with disagreements noted in their section, those notes become part of the official record. The agent should review each point of disagreement. Where a tenant has identified a genuine pre-existing issue the agent missed, acknowledging it strengthens the overall report's integrity. Where the tenant notes something the agent disputes, the agent can annotate their own position in response. Unresolved disagreements are not unusual — what matters is that both parties' positions are documented.

If the tenant does not return the report within 7 days, the agent's completed version is treated as the formal record of the property's condition at the start of the tenancy. This does not mean agents should avoid reminding tenants to return the form — but it does mean the obligation ultimately sits with the tenant.

Once the agent receives the signed Form 1a back from the tenant, the agent has 14 days to return a countersigned copy to the tenant. This 14-day counter-signing obligation is a distinct and enforceable step in the QLD process. Property managers who receive a completed Form 1a from a tenant and then file it away without returning a countersigned copy are in breach of their obligations under the Act.

Queensland's exit condition report process works differently from most other Australian states. Under the RTRAA 2008, it is the tenant who completes the exit condition report (Form 14a), recording the property's condition on or before the day the tenancy ends. The tenant then provides a copy to the agent or lessor and returns all keys.

Once the agent receives the tenant's Form 14a, they have 3 business days to inspect the vacated property, note any items where they disagree with the tenant's recorded condition, sign the form, and return a copy to the tenant.

This three-business-day window is short. For a property that vacates on a Friday, the agent needs to inspect, document, annotate the form, and return it by the following Wednesday. If the agent is waiting for a cleaner or the property is on a less-accessible route, three business days can pass quickly.

In practice, many QLD property managers conduct their own inspection of the vacated property immediately after the tenant leaves — regardless of whether the tenant has returned a Form 14a — to document the property's condition with timestamped photographs while it is unaltered. This is sound practice. The agent's inspection findings and photographs are what QCAT relies on when assessing a bond claim.

Where the agent has identified damage or deterioration that goes beyond fair wear and tear, the process moves to the bond claim and evidence stage. This is covered in detail in the QLD bond evidence requirements guide and the QCAT bond dispute guide.

Two significant regulatory changes occurred in Queensland in 2025 that property managers need to understand.

1 May 2025 — Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024: These changes introduced obligations around standardised tenancy application forms, a 48-hour notice requirement for most property entries, limits on entry frequency near the end of a tenancy (no more than two entries in any seven-day period after a notice to end the tenancy has been given), and personal information handling obligations for rental applicants. These changes did not alter the core condition report requirements under sections 65 and 66 of the RTRAA 2008, but they changed the operational context for inspections. Specifically, the 48-hour entry notice requirement affects scheduling for exit inspections, and the entry frequency limits affect how agents manage property access in the final weeks of a tenancy.

1 September 2025 — Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Regulation 2025: The 2009 Regulation expired on 31 August 2025 and was replaced by the 2025 Regulation. The replacement did not introduce new substantive condition report obligations. The prescribed forms (Form 1a, Form 14a, Form 14b, Form R1) were updated, and property managers must use the versions issued under the new Regulation from 1 September 2025. The RTA has been clear that using outdated form versions may constitute a breach of tenancy laws.

The practical implication is straightforward: download the current versions of all QLD condition report forms from rta.qld.gov.au, and if you use third-party inspection software, confirm with your provider that their QLD templates were updated for the September 2025 Regulation.

Property managers who work across multiple states frequently encounter features of QLD's condition report process that differ from other jurisdictions.

Prescribed forms: QLD mandates specific forms (Form 1a, Form 14a) and does not permit custom templates. NSW mandates the Schedule 2 form, and VIC uses the Consumer Affairs Victoria prescribed form. WA uses Form 1 (Property Condition Report) but allows more flexibility in how items are described.

Who completes the exit report: In QLD, the tenant completes Form 14a. In NSW, VIC, and WA, the agent or landlord typically conducts and documents the exit inspection. This is one of the most distinctive features of Queensland's process and one of the most commonly misunderstood by agents new to the QLD market.

Agent's three-business-day exit response window: Most states expect prompt action on exit inspections but do not set a specific short statutory window. QLD's three business days for the agent to respond to the tenant's Form 14a is explicit in the legislation and short in practice.

Tenant review period: QLD gives tenants 7 days to return the entry condition report, measured from the later of occupancy or receipt. NSW also allows 7 calendar days. VIC allows 5 business days. WA requires both parties to return their signed copies within 7 days of the tenancy start.

Counter-signing obligation: QLD's requirement for the agent to return a countersigned copy to the tenant within 14 days of receiving the tenant's signed Form 1a is a step that is not present in the same form in all other states. It is an easy obligation to miss under workload pressure and an easy breach to incur.

Rooming accommodation form: QLD has a separate Form R1 for rooming accommodation where a bond is taken. Not all states have this distinction built explicitly into their condition report framework.

Tribunal: Bond disputes in QLD go to QCAT (Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal). NSW uses NCAT, VIC uses VCAT, and SA uses SACAT. QCAT is broadly similar in process to NCAT and VCAT. WA is the outlier: bond disputes there proceed in the Magistrates Court, which is a more formal and more costly forum.

The entry and exit condition reports are the primary evidentiary documents in a QLD bond dispute. Whether a claim goes through RTA-assisted conciliation or proceeds to QCAT, the central question is always: what was the property's condition at entry, what is it at exit, and who is responsible for the difference?

A well-prepared Form 1a — completed before the tenant took possession, signed, dated, and supported by photographs of each item at each rating — is the foundation of any successful bond claim. A Form 14a that documents deterioration across specific items, with photographic evidence of each, is what converts a claim into a successful outcome.

QCAT applies the standard that the landlord or agent must prove, on the balance of probabilities, that damage or deterioration occurred during the tenancy and goes beyond what would be expected from fair wear and tear. An incomplete, undated, or photo-free condition report makes this burden substantially harder to discharge.

QCAT decisions are published and accessible through the Queensland Courts website. A consistent theme in adverse findings against landlords is that the entry condition report did not clearly establish the baseline. If the entry report is ambiguous about the condition of an item — marking it as acceptable but without a photograph — and the exit shows apparent damage, QCAT may find insufficient evidence to determine that the damage occurred during the tenancy rather than pre-existing it.

For a detailed walkthrough of the QCAT process and how to build a complete bond claim evidence package, see the QCAT bond dispute guide and QLD bond evidence requirements.

These are the errors that most frequently undermine QLD property managers' bond claims and condition report compliance.

Providing Form 1a after occupancy has begun. Section 65 requires the form to be given on or before the day of occupancy, not the day after. A condition report emailed to the tenant three days after key handover is already in breach. It also weakens the evidentiary record because the tenant has had access to the property before the report was prepared.

Using an outdated version of Form 1a or Form 14a. As of 1 September 2025, only forms issued under the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Regulation 2025 are compliant. If your inspection software or internal templates have not been updated since before that date, you are using a non-compliant form.

No photographs. The form documents condition in writing; photographs prove it in a dispute. QCAT expects photographic evidence to accompany condition report claims. Submitting a bond claim at QCAT without entry photographs is a significant evidential disadvantage.

Skipping the 14-day counter-signing step. After the tenant returns their signed Form 1a, the agent has 14 days to return a countersigned copy. This obligation is often overlooked in busy agencies once the report has been filed. Failing to complete it is a breach of the Act.

Missing the three-business-day exit response window. After receiving the tenant's Form 14a exit report, the agent has three business days to inspect, annotate, and return a signed copy. Agencies that schedule exit inspections several days after receiving the tenant's form risk missing this window entirely.

Applying NSW or VIC processes to QLD tenancies. The most common error for multi-state agencies is inadvertently using another state's form or process. QLD's exit process — where the tenant completes Form 14a — is structurally different from NSW's agent-completed exit report. Treating a QLD exit inspection like a NSW exit inspection skips the Form 14a requirement.

Not retaining signed copies. QCAT applications can be made for a period after the tenancy ends. Property managers who delete inspection records shortly after a tenancy should retain all condition reports, photographs, and related documents for at least 12 months after the tenancy ends, and longer where a dispute is known or anticipated.

Managing the Form 1a and Form 14a exchange process digitally removes the most common failure points in QLD condition report compliance. The timing obligations — on-or-before-occupancy delivery, 7-day tenant return window, 14-day counter-signing obligation, 3-business-day exit response — are best managed with automated reminders rather than relying on calendar tasks or memory.

Dedicated inspection management software should handle QLD condition reports out of the box: Form 1a and Form 14a templates updated to the September 2025 Regulation versions, digital delivery to tenants with a delivery timestamp and read receipt, digital signature capture from tenants on Form 1a, and automated prompts when the 7-day and 14-day windows are approaching.

ConditionHQ includes current QLD Form 1a and Form 14a templates, AI-assisted condition descriptions from photographs (reducing the time required to complete the written sections of the report on-site), and an audit trail showing when each party received, viewed, signed, and returned each document. For QLD agencies managing the on-or-before-occupancy requirement, ConditionHQ's report can be completed in full during the final pre-tenancy inspection and delivered to the tenant's email before keys are handed over — with a delivery timestamp that confirms compliance with Section 65.

The free tier allows three full reports per month with no credit card required, which is enough to evaluate whether the workflow suits your agency before committing to a subscription.