Queensland Minimum Housing Standards 2024: What Landlords and Property Managers Must Provide

A tenant moves in on a Saturday. By Monday morning they’ve issued a Notice of Intention to Leave, citing a leaking roof, broken window latches, and no privacy coverings on the bedroom windows. The landlord is furious — the property passed its last routine inspection. But under Queensland’s minimum housing standards, it doesn’t matter that no one complained before. What matters is whether the property met the prescribed standards on the day the tenancy began.

New rules around minimum housing standards came into effect for new tenancies on 1 September 2023 and for all tenancies on 1 September 2024. That second date is the one that matters now. All residential rental properties in Queensland must meet minimum housing standards when the tenant moves in and throughout the tenancy agreement. There is no grace period, no property exemption, and no mechanism for a landlord to pass the cost of compliance on to the tenant.

The Legislative Foundation: Where These Standards Come From

Rental law reforms were introduced by the Housing Legislation Amendment Act 2021 and phased in over a three-year period to allow the sector to understand and adapt to the changes. The minimum housing standards represent the final phase of that reform program.

The prescribed minimum housing standards are stated in Schedule 5A of the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Regulation 2009 (RTRA Regulation). The primary obligation on lessors sits in the Act itself: in accordance with s 185 of the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (RTRA Act), the lessor must, at the start of the tenancy and while the tenancy continues, ensure that the premises and inclusions comply with any prescribed minimum housing standards.

Schedule 5A of the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Regulation 2009 specifies that minimum housing standards cover the safety and security and reasonable functionality of the premises. This two-part structure — safety and security first, reasonable functionality second — is the most useful frame for property managers doing pre-tenancy compliance checks.

This applies to all types of tenancies, including general tenancies, moveable dwellings, and rooming accommodation agreements. Whether you manage a three-bedroom house in Ipswich, a unit in Fortitude Valley, or a caretaker’s dwelling on a rural property, the same standards apply from the moment a new tenancy commences.

It is also worth noting what these standards do not replace. The new standards complement existing legislation, which states that a property must be fit to live in, be in good repair and comply with health and safety laws. Meeting the minimum housing standards is a floor, not a ceiling.

Part One: Safety and Security Standards

Weatherproof and Structurally Sound

This is the standard that generates the most disputes, and it is also the most technical to assess without a qualified building inspector.

The premises must be weatherproof, structurally sound and in good repair. Premises are not weatherproof if the roofing or windows of the premises do not prevent water entering the premises when it rains. That definition is deliberately straightforward — if water is getting in, the property fails, regardless of how minor the entry point appears or how rarely it rains in that postcode.

Without limiting subsection (1), premises are not structurally sound if: a floor, wall, ceiling or roof is likely to collapse because of rot or a defect; a deck or stairs are likely to collapse because of rot or a defect; or a floor, wall or ceiling or other supporting structure is affected by significant dampness. Pay particular attention to that last criterion. Significant structural dampness — the kind found behind cladding in older Queenslanders or under elevated floors — is a structural soundness issue, not just a cosmetic one.

For property managers, the practical implication is that a pre-tenancy inspection must go beyond visual cleanliness. If there is any doubt about roof integrity, subfloor condition, or the structural soundness of decking, the standard of care requires you to obtain instructions from the landlord to commission a proper assessment before the tenancy commences — not after the tenant raises it.

Fixtures, Fittings, and Electrical Safety

The fixtures and fittings, including electrical appliances, for the premises: must be in good repair; and must not be likely to cause injury to a person through the ordinary use of the fixtures and fittings. The inclusion of electrical appliances in this standard is significant. A rangehood that sparks, a dishwasher with frayed cabling, or a ceiling fan that vibrates out of its mounting point are not merely maintenance issues — they are compliance failures under the RTRA Regulation.

“Likely to cause injury through ordinary use” is the operative phrase. It does not require that an injury has actually occurred. If a reasonable person using the fixture in its intended way could foreseeably be harmed, the fixture fails the standard. This requires property managers to think critically during inspections rather than simply noting whether items are present.

The practical approach is to test every included electrical appliance during pre-tenancy inspection, document the testing in the entry condition report, and where an appliance shows any signs of fault, arrange repair or removal before the tenancy commences. If an appliance is removed and not replaced, ensure the tenancy agreement reflects what is and is not included.

Window and Door Security

All external windows and doors accessible without a ladder must have functioning locks or latches to ensure security. The ladder threshold is important — it limits the obligation to points of access that a person standing outside the property could reasonably reach. First-floor windows above a flat roof section would be caught by this standard; a third-floor window accessible only by ladder would not.

To meet minimum housing standards, all external windows and doors at a property will need to have functioning locks or latches to secure the premises against unauthorised entry. “Functioning” is the key word. A lock that is present but can be defeated with one hand, a window latch that no longer engages, or a sliding door whose secondary security pin has been lost — all of these are non-compliant. The standard is not met by the presence of a mechanism; it is met by the mechanism actually working.

Property managers should physically test every accessible external window and door latch during the pre-tenancy inspection, not just visually check for their existence. A broken latch that goes unnoticed until a tenant raises it as a safety concern will be treated as an outstanding compliance issue from the date of entry, not the date of notification.

Vermin, Damp, and Mould

The premises must be free from vermin, damp, and mould, excluding cases caused by tenant negligence. This is one of the most practically complex standards to manage, because damp and mould can develop rapidly during a tenancy and the question of causation is frequently contested.

The regulation draws a clear line: if damp or mould is caused by a building fault — inadequate subfloor ventilation, a blocked weep hole, a slow roof leak — it is the lessor’s problem to fix. Mould caused by the tenant allowing steam to build up in a bathroom and not properly ventilating or cleaning the area is the tenant’s responsibility. In practice, the entry condition report is your primary evidence base. Document the condition of every wall, ceiling, and floor space at entry. If mould develops during the tenancy in a property that was mould-free at entry, the cause must be investigated, not assumed.

Privacy Coverings

Windows in rooms where privacy is expected, such as bedrooms, must have privacy coverings like blinds, curtains, tinting, or glass frosting. The standard is applied contextually — the test is whether a person in that room would reasonably expect privacy, not whether every window in the dwelling must be covered.

Privacy coverings are not required for windows which are blocked out from view by a tree, fence, hedge or other features of a property. A bedroom window that faces a solid masonry fence a metre away may not require a blind; the same window facing a neighbour’s kitchen definitely does. Use judgement and document your reasoning.

Privacy coverings can include blinds, curtains, tinted windows, or glass frosting. This is a non-exhaustive list — the standard is functional privacy, not a specific product type.

Part Two: Reasonable Functionality Standards

Plumbing, Water, and Bathrooms

Minimum housing standards specify that rental properties must have adequate plumbing and drainage and be connected to hot and cold water that is suitable for drinking. The drinking water requirement is worth noting specifically — a property connected to a bore or tank system that is not potable without treatment does not meet this standard unless appropriate filtration or treatment is installed and maintained.

The property must provide privacy in bathroom areas and have flushable toilets connected to a sewer, septic tank or other waste disposal system. For properties on septic systems — common across Queensland’s regional and rural rental market — the septic must be functional and appropriately serviced. A septic that is full, failing, or not connected to the toilet does not meet this standard regardless of the property’s remoteness.

Bathroom privacy is a separate requirement from bedroom privacy. A bathroom without a door that fully closes, or with a window directly visible from a common area, is non-compliant. This catches older properties in particular where bathroom doors have been removed during renovation.

Kitchen and Cooking Facilities

The property must have a functional cooktop if a kitchen is provided. Note the conditional phrasing: the obligation attaches only if a kitchen is provided as part of the tenancy. A property marketed and let with a kitchen must have a functional cooktop. The standard does not require an oven, a microwave, or a dishwasher — it is specific to the cooktop alone.

This has a practical implication for property managers reletting properties where the previous tenant has damaged a cooktop. A missing or non-functional cooktop at the commencement of a new tenancy is a compliance failure, not simply a maintenance issue to be resolved in the first few weeks of the tenancy. It must be rectified before the tenancy begins.

Laundry Facilities

The property must include the necessary fixtures for a functional laundry, such as tap fixtures and adequate plumbing, if laundry facilities are provided. The laundry does not have to include a washing machine or other white goods as these may be provided by the tenant.

Again, the obligation is conditional on the laundry being offered as part of the tenancy. A laundry space with properly functioning tap connections and drainage meets the standard. A space where the plumbing has been capped, the taps are seized, or the drainage is blocked does not.

Who Is Responsible — and Who Is Not

Lessors must ensure that their premises and inclusions comply with any prescribed minimum housing standards from the start of the tenancy, and continue to maintain the premises throughout the tenancy. The obligation rests with the lessor and, in practice, with the property manager acting as the lessor’s agent.

Lessors are not able to recover costs from tenants or factor their costs in any rent increases. This point cannot be overstated. A landlord who raises the rent at the start of a new tenancy to fund compliance works is exposed. The tenant may apply to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) for an order reducing the proposed rent increase or setting it aside if the proposed rent increase relates to the prescribed minimum housing standards.

During the tenancy, the division of responsibility depends on causation. If a maintenance issue occurs during the tenancy and the property no longer complies with minimum housing standards, the tenant must inform the property manager/owner or the nominated emergency repair contact about the issue. Once notified, it is the property manager’s/owner’s responsibility to ensure repairs are made in a timely manner. During a tenancy, repairs required to make the property meet minimum housing standards are classified as emergency repairs and the emergency repair process should be followed.

If the rental property fails to meet minimum housing standards because of issues caused by the actions of the tenant, the property manager/owner can issue the tenant with a Notice to Remedy Breach (Form 11) and the tenant may have to pay for the repairs.

What Happens When a Property Doesn’t Comply

Understanding the tenant’s options is essential for property managers, not because you will be opposing tenants, but because knowing the enforcement pathways helps you advise landlords accurately on the real risks of non-compliance.

If a property is non-compliant at the start of a tenancy, a tenant may, within 7 days on which the tenant occupies the property, issue a Notice of Intention to Leave because the property or inclusions do not comply with the prescribed minimum housing standards. That is a seven-day window from the day they move in — not from the day they raise the issue, not from the day a repair is attempted. A tenant who walks in on day one, identifies a broken door latch and a mouldy bathroom, and issues a Notice of Intention to Leave on day three is acting entirely within their rights.

A tenant may also have grounds to apply to QCAT for a termination order within the first three months of the tenancy if they believe the lessor or lessor’s agent gave false or misleading information about the property condition, its inclusions and fixtures. This is a critical risk for property managers completing entry condition reports. Marking items as satisfactory when they are not is not just a documentation error — it is the basis for a QCAT termination application.

The definition of “Emergency Repairs” in s 214 of the RTRA Act has been amended to include works that are needed for the premises or inclusions to comply with the prescribed minimum housing standards. This means that mid-tenancy compliance failures — a lock that breaks, mould that appears — are emergency repair matters, not routine maintenance items. The emergency repair process applies: prompt notification, timely response, and if the repair is not made within a reasonable time, the tenant can arrange repairs themselves up to the value of four weeks’ rent and seek reimbursement.

If a tenant applies to QCAT and a repair order is issued, the consequences are serious. If the tribunal makes a repair order, it will be attached to the rental premises and not to a specific tenancy or owner. Non-compliance with a repair order is considered an offence that carries a maximum penalty of 50 penalty units. Repair orders are enforced by the Residential Tenancies Authority, and there can be significant penalties for breaching a repair order.

Non-compliance with a repair order incurs a maximum of 50 penalty units. For each week that the offence continues after someone has been charged with contravening it, an additional 5 penalty units will be imposed.

If a repair order is made, you must disclose this to each successive tenant until the repair order is complied with. A repair order does not disappear when the tenancy that generated it ends. It stays with the property. This has significant implications at reletting — a property manager who re-lets a property without disclosing an outstanding repair order is exposing both themselves and their landlord client to further enforcement action.

Strata and Body Corporate Properties

If a rental property is in a body corporate, it will need to comply with both the minimum housing standards and the body corporate bylaws. There may be some instances where repairs to ensure a property complies with minimum housing standards are the responsibility of the body corporate.

This creates a practical complication. A lessor is obligated to ensure compliance, but in a strata-titled property, repair of the common property — including the building envelope, shared plumbing infrastructure, and common area lighting — rests with the body corporate. Where a compliance failure is a body corporate responsibility, the property manager must promptly escalate the matter to the body corporate committee in writing, document the escalation thoroughly, and keep the tenant informed.

The fact that the body corporate is dragging its feet is not a defence against the tenant’s rights under the RTRA Act. Property managers need to be proactive — not passive — in pursuing body corporate action when the building itself is causing the compliance failure.

The Compliance Checklist Property Managers Need

This checklist reflects the prescribed standards under Schedule 5A of the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Regulation 2009. It is designed to be worked through at every pre-tenancy inspection and cross-referenced against the entry condition report.

Safety and Security

• Roof: check for signs of water ingress, deteriorated flashing, cracked or missing tiles or sheets
• Walls and ceilings: check for active dampness, significant staining, or structural movement
• Floors: check for soft spots, rot under coverings, or subfloor access showing water pooling
• Decks, balconies, and stairs: test handrails physically; check for rot in bearer and joist timbers
• All external doors: lock or latch tested — must engage fully and cannot be defeated by hand
• All accessible external windows: latch tested — must function and hold the window closed
• Fixtures and fittings: physically test all included electrical appliances; document any fault
• Mould and vermin: inspect all areas including behind appliances, under sinks, in roof space if accessible
• Privacy coverings: confirm all bedrooms have functioning blinds, curtains, tinting, or equivalent

Reasonable Functionality

• Hot water system: confirm hot water is delivered at all taps
• Cold water: confirm supply is from a drinking-safe source; test if bore or tank-fed
• Drainage: run all fixtures; confirm no slow or blocked drainage
• Toilet: confirm flushes and is connected to sewer or functioning septic
• Bathroom: confirm door closes fully for privacy
• Cooktop: test all elements or burners if kitchen is included
• Laundry: test tap connections if laundry is provided; confirm drainage is clear

Document every item — pass, fail, or note. If an item fails, do not proceed to tenant entry without either rectifying the issue or obtaining the landlord’s written instructions to defer and accepting the legal risk that entails.

What This Means for Queensland Agents

The minimum housing standards have been fully in force across all Queensland tenancies since 1 September 2024. There is no longer a phased rollout to plan for — the obligation is live and universal.

For property managers, the standards fundamentally change the risk profile of the pre-tenancy inspection. What was once primarily a documentation exercise to protect against bond disputes is now a compliance assessment with direct legal consequences. A property that fails any standard at entry is not a property that can be let. The entry condition report must reflect reality, not aspiration.

Landlords need to understand that compliance costs cannot be recovered through rent increases. The obligation is theirs to fund, and the consequences of non-compliance — from a seven-day Notice of Intention to Leave through to a QCAT repair order attached to the property — are real, enforceable, and increasingly exercised by well-informed tenants.

The practical takeaway is straightforward: inspect thoroughly, document accurately, escalate problems to landlords in writing before the tenancy commences, and treat any mid-tenancy compliance failure as an emergency repair matter requiring prompt action. The legislation is clear on what is required. The professional exposure for property managers who do not treat these obligations seriously is real.