As a renter, you have both rights and obligations at every type of rental inspection — and they differ across Australia’s eight jurisdictions. This guide covers what you must do, what you’re entitled to refuse, and how to protect yourself and your bond from day one.
Rights That Apply Everywhere — All States
✓ Universal tenant rights
- Written notice is always required before a routine inspection. Verbal notice or a knock at the door is not sufficient in any Australian state.
- You are entitled to be present at both the entry and exit inspections.
- You cannot be forced to sign the condition report at the front door. You have a statutory review period in every state.
- You can add your own notes to the condition report. Disagreeing with the landlord’s assessment is your right.
- You can refuse entry if the landlord has not given proper notice, is outside permitted hours, has exceeded the frequency cap, or in QLD has not used the prescribed Form 9.
- You cannot be charged for fair wear and tear — normal deterioration from reasonable use — regardless of what a landlord claims.
Quick Reference — All States
| State | Review period (entry report) | Routine notice from landlord | Max frequency | Tribunal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 7 days | 7 days written; 8am–8pm; not Sun/PH | 4 per year | NCAT |
| VIC | 5 business days (return signed copy) | 7 days written; 8am–6pm; no inspection in first 3 months of tenancy | Once per 6 months | VCAT / RDRV |
| QLD | 7 days | 7 days; Form 9 ONLY; not before 8am or after 6pm | Once per 3 months | QCAT / RTA |
| SA | 2 business days VERIFY | 7–28 days; 2-hour window; 8am–8pm Mon–Sat | 4 per year | SACAT |
| WA | 7 days after receiving | 7–14 days; 8am–6pm | 4 per year | Magistrates Court / SAT |
| TAS | 2 days (s.26) | 24 hours written; reasonable hours | Once per 3 months | Residential Tenancy Commissioner / Magistrates Court |
| ACT | Reasonable period VERIFY | 7 days written; 8am–6pm Mon–Sat | 2 per year | ACAT |
| NT | Reasonable timeframe | 7 days written; 7am–9pm | Once per 3 months | NTCAT |
New South Wales
🔵 Your rights
- Receive prescribed NSW condition report at or before move-in; 7 days to review and return
- 7 days written notice before every routine inspection
- Not inspected more than 4 times per 12 months
- Entry only 8am–8pm; not Sun/PH without agreement
- At least 2 business days notice for smoke alarm checks
- Be present at entry and exit inspections
✓ Valid grounds to refuse
- Fewer than 7 days written notice
- Entry before 8am or after 8pm
- Entry on Sunday or public holiday without agreement
- More than 4 routine inspections in the past 12 months
- Notice was verbal, not written
Entry report: Don’t sign at the front door. Take it home, annotate every disputed item specifically, photograph everything, and return within 7 days. If no report was provided, complete your own and submit it within 7 days of moving in. Exit: the “14 days then twice weekly with 48 hours notice” provision applies to showing the property to prospective buyers/tenants — not the exit condition inspection itself.
Victoria
🔵 Your rights
- Receive Form 4 before you move in; you then have 5 business days from moving in to complete your part and return a signed copy — this is your standard deadline, not just a fallback if the landlord misses their own obligation
- No routine inspection in the first 3 months of your tenancy [s.86(3)]
- No more than one inspection every 6 months after that
- 7 days written notice; entry only 8am–6pm; not public holidays
- Written record of safety checks within 7 days (from Nov 2025/Oct 2026)
- Use RDRV for faster dispute resolution before VCAT
✓ Valid grounds to refuse
- Entry proposed within the first 3 months of the tenancy
- Fewer than 7 days written notice
- Entry before 8am or after 6pm
- Entry on public holiday without agreement
- Inspection within the past 6 months
💡 VIC only
The first-3-months protection is unique to Victoria. If your landlord attempts to schedule a routine inspection before you’ve been in the property 3 months, you can lawfully refuse and report the attempted breach to Consumer Affairs Victoria.
Queensland
🔵 Your rights
- Receive the RTA Entry Condition Report at or before move-in; 7 days to review and return — the landlord then has a further 14 days to countersign it and send you back a final copy
- Routine notice ONLY on Form 9 — any other format is legally invalid
- A specific time or 2-hour window in every Form 9
- Not before 8am or after 6pm; not Sun/PH without agreement
- No more than one inspection every 3 months
- Completed exit report (Form 14a) sent to you within 3 business days of vacate inspection
✓ Valid grounds to refuse
- Notice not given on Form 9 — this alone is sufficient
- Fewer than 7 days notice on the Form 9
- Entry before 8am or after 6pm
- Entry on Sunday or public holiday without agreement
- Inspection within the past 3 months
- No time or 2-hour window stated
Your smoke alarm obligation (unique to QLD): During the tenancy, you are responsible for testing and cleaning every smoke alarm at least once every 12 months. If an alarm isn’t working after replacing the battery, notify the landlord in writing immediately. RTA dispute resolution is free — use it before going to QCAT.
South Australia
🔵 Your rights
- Receive CBS SA condition report at or before commencement; 2 business days to review and return (verify with CBS SA)
- Between 7 and 28 days notice — both a minimum and a maximum
- A 2-hour entry window stated in every notice
- Entry only 8am–8pm Monday–Saturday; not Sun/PH without agreement
- No more than 4 routine inspections per year (from July 2024)
✓ Valid grounds to refuse
- Fewer than 7 days or more than 28 days notice
- No 2-hour entry window stated in the notice
- Entry before 8am or after 8pm, or on Sunday/PH without agreement
- More than 4 routine inspections already conducted in the year
Western Australia
🔵 Your rights
- Receive Form 1 within 7 days of moving in; 7 days after receiving it to complete your section and return one signed copy
- Routine notice between 7 and 14 days — both a minimum AND a maximum
- Entry only 8am–6pm or agreed time
- No more than 4 routine inspections per year
- Exit inspection conducted in your presence (unless you choose not to attend)
✓ Valid grounds to refuse
- Fewer than 7 days notice, or more than 14 days notice
- Entry before 8am or after 6pm without agreement
- More than 4 routine inspections in the year
Form 1: Complete your section of both copies, indicating Y (agree) or N (disagree) for each item with written comments. Keep one copy and return the other within 7 days. Photos are required in WA but do not replace written descriptions — you need both.
Tasmania
🔵 Your rights
- Receive a condition report at start of tenancy; 2 days to return your signed copy (Section 26)
- Written notice before routine inspections (24 hours minimum)
- No more than one inspection every 3 months
- Entry at reasonable hours only
- Genuine opportunity to attend exit inspection
✓ Valid grounds to refuse
- No written notice given (verbal notice is not sufficient)
- Entry outside reasonable hours
- Inspection within the past 3 months
⚠️ Act fast in TAS
Tasmania’s 2-day return period under Section 26 is the shortest in Australia. Review the condition report on the day you receive it and return your annotated copy within 2 days. There is also no mandatory prescribed form in TAS — create your own comprehensive written record with dated photographs.
Australian Capital Territory
🔵 Your rights
- Receive ACT condition report at or before move-in; reasonable period to review (verify with Access Canberra)
- 7 days written notice for routine inspections
- Only 2 routine inspections per year — the second most protective cap in Australia after VIC
- Entry only 8am–6pm Monday–Saturday; not Sun/PH without agreement
- Additional inspections only permitted in the first or final month of the tenancy
✓ Valid grounds to refuse
- Fewer than 7 days written notice
- Entry before 8am or after 6pm, or on Sunday/PH without agreement
- 2 routine inspections have already occurred in the past 12 months (outside first/last month)
Northern Territory
🔵 Your rights
- Complete the condition report jointly with the landlord within the first 7 days
- 7 days written notice for routine inspections
- Entry only 7am–9pm (verify with NT Consumer Affairs)
- No more than one inspection every 3 months
- Genuine opportunity to attend exit inspection
✓ Valid grounds to refuse
- Fewer than 7 days written notice
- Entry before 7am or after 9pm
- Inspection within the past 3 months
No mandatory prescribed form in NT — complete the report jointly, take your own dated photographs, and keep copies of everything. Verify with NT Consumer Affairs.
Five Habits That Protect Your Bond
- Document the entry condition thoroughly. Dated photographs of every room on moving day — walls, ceiling, floor, appliances, inside cupboards. Don’t leave it until tomorrow.
- Annotate the condition report specifically. Not “some marks” — “scratch on south wall bedroom 2, approx 15cm, above light switch, not noted on report.” Photograph your annotations before returning the report.
- Put maintenance requests in writing. A timestamped text or email is a record. A phone call isn’t.
- Attend the exit inspection. It’s your opportunity to dispute findings in person, not in writing weeks later.
- Keep every document. Entry report, all annotated copies, all inspection notices, all maintenance correspondence, the exit report. These don’t become irrelevant when the tenancy ends.
You don’t win a bond dispute by being a good tenant. You win it by being a documented tenant.
If a Dispute Arises — Start with Free Resolution
- NSW: NSW Fair Trading mediation → NCAT
- VIC: Consumer Affairs Victoria → RDRV → VCAT
- QLD: RTA Dispute Resolution (free — start here) → QCAT
- SA: Consumer and Business Services SA → SACAT
- WA: Consumer Protection WA → Magistrates Court or SAT
- TAS: CBOS Tasmania → Residential Tenancy Commissioner / Magistrates Court
- ACT: Access Canberra → ACAT
- NT: NT Consumer Affairs → NTCAT