WA Form 1AA Residential Tenancy Agreement Guide

This guide is for Western Australian residential tenancies using the prescribed Form 1AA. It does not cover commercial leases, retail shop leases, or generic lease templates.

If you’re a self-managing landlord in Western Australia, there’s one document you need to get right: your tenancy agreement. Under the Residential Tenancies Act 1987, every residential tenancy in WA must use a specific government-approved form called the Form 1AA.

The problem? The official version is a 15-page document with blank fields, no guidance, and no validation — nothing telling you if you’ve missed something critical. It was also updated on 28 March 2026, and if you’re still using the old version, your agreement may not reflect the current law.

In this guide, we’ll cover what the Form 1AA requires, what changed in the March 2026 update, the legal rules you need to know, common mistakes to avoid, and how to prepare a Form 1AA agreement using Landlord Wise.

For the broader statutory framework behind Form 1AA, see our Residential Tenancies Act WA guide. If you’re working through the full tenancy setup process, it also helps to read the WA rental bond guide alongside this page.

What Is the Form 1AA?

The Form 1AA is the official residential tenancy agreement approved by the Commissioner for Consumer Protection under Section 88C of the Residential Tenancies Act 1987. It is the only prescribed form for written residential tenancies in Western Australia — a generic lease template downloaded from the internet is not legally sufficient.

The form is divided into three parts:

Part A contains the variable details specific to your tenancy: lessor and tenant names and contact details, the property address, lease term (periodic or fixed), rent amount and payment method, security bond, rent increase provisions, utility arrangements, strata by-laws, pet permissions, subletting rights, modification rights, and property condition report requirements.

Part B sets out the standard terms that apply to every residential tenancy in WA by law. These cover the tenant’s right to quiet enjoyment, rent payment obligations, lessor maintenance responsibilities, urgent repair procedures, lessor access rules, modification processes, pet consent, locks and security, bond administration, tenancy databases, notices, and dispute resolution. You cannot alter, remove, or override anything in Part B — doing so is an offence under the Act.

Part C is where you add special conditions specific to your property. These are additional terms agreed between you and the tenant, but they must not contradict the standard terms in Part B or breach the unfair contract terms provisions in the Fair Trading Act 2010.

What Changed on 28 March 2026

The Form 1AA was updated on 28 March 2026, replacing the previous version approved in July 2024. If you’re creating new tenancy agreements, you must use the current version. Here are the specific changes and what they mean for you as a landlord.

Pet Bond Increased from $260 to $350

The maximum pet bond has increased by 35%. For rentals at or below the high-rent threshold described in Consumer Protection’s rental bond guidance, if you allow pets at the property you can now charge up to $350 as a pet bond on top of the standard 4 weeks’ rent security bond.

If you have existing tenancies with pets where you charged the old $260 maximum, this does not entitle you to retrospectively charge the difference — the increase applies to new agreements signed on or after 28 March 2026.

Pet Bond Now Covers Pet Damage (Not Just Fumigation)

This is a significant change that many landlords will welcome. Under the old form, the pet bond wording referred only to fumigation costs — though the government’s Landlord’s Guide interpreted it more broadly to include cleaning and damage. In practice, this created confusion about what the pet bond could legally be used for.

The new wording removes any ambiguity by explicitly stating the pet bond covers “any damage caused by the pet or fumigation of the premises.” This gives landlords clear, unambiguous grounds to use the pet bond for actual pet damage — not just pest treatment.

Bond Release Process Completely Overhauled

This is the biggest change in the March 2026 update. The old system required a “Joint Application for Disposal of Security Bond” signed by all parties, and if you couldn’t agree, the only option was the Magistrates Court.

The new process works differently. Any party — landlord or tenant — can now independently lodge a “security bond release application” with the Bond Administrator. If the other party wasn’t part of the application, the Bond Administrator notifies them in writing. If the other party disputes the application or doesn’t respond within the stated period, the matter is referred to the Commissioner for Consumer Protection to decide.

This means most bond disputes can now be resolved by the Commissioner without going to court — faster and cheaper for everyone. The Magistrates Court remains available as a final option, but it’s no longer the only path when parties disagree.

Commissioner Now Resolves Bond Disputes

Previously, the Commissioner for Consumer Protection could only make binding decisions on disputes about pet consent and minor property modifications. The March 2026 update adds security bond release to that list. This is a direct consequence of the new bond release process above — the Commissioner is now the primary decision-maker for bond disputes, not the court.

Bond Release Offence Rules Tightened

The old form made it an offence for a landlord or property manager to “require” a tenant to sign a bond release form prematurely. The new wording broadens this to “ask or require” — meaning even requesting a signature before the tenancy has ended could constitute an offence. The new form also adds two new permitted scenarios: where all tenants have vacated and parties agree in writing to terminate under Section 81C(4) of the Act, and partial bond release under Section 81D.

What WA Law Requires in Your Lease Agreement

The Form 1AA isn’t just a template you fill in — each section reflects specific legal obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act 1987. Here are the key rules you need to understand before completing your agreement.

Security Bond Limits

For rentals at or below the high-rent threshold described in Consumer Protection’s rental bond guidance, the maximum security bond you can charge is 4 weeks’ rent plus a pet bond of up to $350 (if a pet is permitted). You cannot charge above that cap for those rentals — it is a strict legal cap, not a guideline. If the weekly rent is over $1,200 per week, the four-week cap does not apply.

For the full process on lodgement, refunds, and disputes, see our WA rental bond guide.

The bond must be lodged with the Bond Administrator within 14 days of receipt — failing to do so is a breach of the Act. You must also give the tenant a receipt showing the name of the person who paid, the amount paid, the date of payment, and the address of the rental property.

Rent Increase Rules

For a periodic tenancy, any rent increase must be at least 12 months after the tenancy started or 12 months after the last increase, whichever is later. You must give the tenant at least 60 days’ written notice of the increase using the Notice to Tenant of Rent Increase (Form 10).

For a fixed-term tenancy, rent can only be increased if the method or amount of increase is specified in Part A of the agreement. The same 12-month minimum gap and 60-day notice period apply, and the notice must also use Form 10. For fixed terms exceeding 24 months, Part C should detail subsequent increases.

For notice timing, Form 10 requirements, and the 12-month minimum gap in more detail, see our WA rent increase guide.

If rent is calculated by reference to income, the notice requirement only applies if the calculation method itself is changed.

Property Condition Report (Form 1) Obligations

Part A of the Form 1AA includes a section on property condition reports because they are legally linked. You must complete a Property Condition Report (Form 1) and provide two copies to the tenant within 7 days of the tenant moving in. If the tenant disagrees with anything in the report, they have 7 days to note their disagreement and return a copy to you. If they don’t return it, the report is deemed accepted.

A final inspection report must be completed within 14 days of the tenancy ending, and the tenant must be given a reasonable opportunity to be present.

This report is your primary evidence in any bond dispute — get it right. We cover this in detail in our Property Condition Report (Form 1) guide.

Lessor Access to the Premises

You cannot enter your rental property whenever you want. The Act specifies exactly when and how you can access the premises:

Routine inspections are limited to 4 per year with 7–14 days’ written notice. Repairs and maintenance require at least 72 hours’ written notice. Showing to prospective tenants is permitted during the final 21 days of the tenancy with reasonable written notice. Showing to prospective purchasers requires reasonable written notice at any time.

“Reasonable time” means 8am–6pm on weekdays or 9am–5pm on Saturdays, unless you and the tenant agree otherwise. If the proposed time unduly inconveniences the tenant, you must make a reasonable attempt to negotiate a different time.

Emergency access requires no notice — but it must be a genuine emergency.

Pet Consent Rules

A tenant must obtain your written consent before keeping a pet. You must respond to a pet request within 14 days. You can only refuse without applying to the Commissioner where a written law, local law, or scheme by-law prohibits the pet. For other refusal grounds, including where keeping the pet is likely to cause undue hardship to the landlord or another tenant living at the rental property, you need approval from the Commissioner for Consumer Protection. If you don’t respond within 14 days, consent is automatically granted.

You may impose reasonable conditions on pet-keeping, but some conditions require Commissioner approval.

Assistance animals do not require your consent and cannot be refused.

Modification Rights

The March 2026 form preserves the modification framework introduced in 2024. Tenants can make furniture safety modifications (to prevent injury to a child or person with disability), security modifications related to family violence, disability access modifications, and minor modifications — all with varying consent requirements. For minor modifications, if you don’t respond within 14 days, consent is automatically granted.

“Other modifications” (not covered by the prescribed categories) require your response within 28 days. If you don’t respond, consent is again automatic.

What You Cannot Do

Several things are explicitly prohibited in the standard terms. You cannot require more than 2 weeks’ rent in advance. You cannot require post-dated cheques. You cannot use rent money paid by the tenant for any purpose other than rent. You cannot include a penalty clause for breaching the agreement. You cannot contract out of any provision of the Residential Tenancies Act 1987 — it is an offence to do so.

How to Fill Out Your Form 1AA Step by Step

Landlord Wise is open to Australian landlords. You can register for free, set up your properties, and use the Tenancy Wizard to create lease agreements with guided checks inside the app.

Steps 1–6: Lessor and Tenant Details

The first stages of the wizard handle the essentials:

• Property & Parties: Enter addresses and contact details for you and your tenants
• Lease Term: Use quick-calculate buttons to set end dates instantly
• Rent & Bond: The platform calculates the standard capped security bond from the rent details you enter, including the new $350 pet bond limit, so you can review the amount before signing

Step 7: Residential Premises, Utilities, Pets, and Special Conditions

This is where the Form 1AA really comes together. Everything is organised into clear sections matching the official government form.

Understanding the Residential Premises Section

The Residential Premises section of Part A is where you specify what is included and excluded with the property. This covers things like parking spaces, garden sheds, furniture, or any other fixtures that are — or are not — part of the tenancy. The guided workflow prompts you to review inclusions and exclusions before signing.

The Rent Increase Method Field

For most standard leases of 12 months or less, the rent increase method field does not apply — you can simply leave it blank. It only becomes relevant for longer-term agreements where you want to specify a fixed increase method in advance. For fixed terms over 24 months, you should specify the increase method in Part C.

Utilities, Strata, Pets, and More

The rest of step 7 covers everything else in the form via simple toggles and dropdowns:

• Utilities: Specify water and electricity arrangements, including whether the premises are separately metered
• Strata & Community Titles: Include strata by-laws or community titles scheme by-laws if applicable
• Pets: Set pet permissions and conditions — the platform applies the current $350 pet bond limit automatically
• Subletting and modifications: Toggle these on or off based on your property
• Special Conditions: Add custom terms into Part C without disrupting the form layout.

Built-In Checks and Plain-English Review

Landlord Wise keeps the agreement workflow grounded in the prescribed Form 1AA. As you complete each section, it helps you review rent, bond, pets, utilities, special conditions, required attachments, and signing details before the agreement is generated.

The goal is simple: fewer missed fields, clearer records, and a cleaner signing process for both landlord and tenant.

If arrears escalate beyond the agreement stage, our WA eviction notice guide explains the Form 21 and Form 1A process step by step.

Steps 8–9: Review, Generate, and Send

Before finishing, the wizard presents a Plain-English Summary — no legal jargon, just a clear view of what you’ve created. You can read through the entire agreement in plain language, and if anything needs changing, just click the edit link next to that section.

Once happy, hit Generate Tenancy Agreement. You can then:

• Preview the PDF directly in your browser
• Sign digitally — upload or draw your signature once in settings and it’s applied automatically
• Send to tenants — they receive an email invitation to review and sign the agreement online

No printing, no scanning, no posting. The whole process is completely paperless.

Once your agreement is signed, your next step as a self-managing landlord is completing the Property Condition Report (Form 1) before your tenant moves in — we’ve got a full guide for that too.

If the tenancy later ends early, our WA break lease guide covers the rules around ending a fixed term before the scheduled date.

Common Mistakes Landlords Make with Form 1AA

These are the errors we see most often. Some are administrative inconveniences — others can cost you money, create compliance risk, or weaken your position if a dispute arises.

Using an Outdated Version of the Form

The Form 1AA has been updated multiple times. The current version is dated March 2026. If you downloaded a blank form from Consumer Protection WA before this date, you may be using an old version. You can always download the latest official version from Consumer Protection WA. While your existing signed agreements remain valid under whatever version was current at signing, any new tenancy must use the latest form. Landlord Wise uses the latest recorded version in the app.

Overcharging the Security Bond

For rentals at or below the high-rent threshold, the maximum bond is 4 weeks’ rent plus a pet bond of up to $350. Charging even $1 above this is a breach. A surprisingly common mistake is landlords calculating the bond based on monthly rent rather than weekly rent — these are not the same number. Four weeks’ rent is not one month’s rent.

Forgetting to Provide Form 1AC

The Form 1AA is not the only document you must give your tenant at signing. You are also required to provide the Form 1AC (Information for Tenant), which explains the tenant’s rights and obligations in plain language. Failing to provide it doesn’t invalidate the agreement, but it is a breach of your obligations under the Act.

Not Completing the Property Condition Report Within 7 Days

The Form 1AA explicitly states that a Property Condition Report (Form 1) must be provided to the tenant within 7 days of them moving in. Missing this deadline weakens your position in any future bond dispute — if there’s no agreed condition report, you have limited evidence to claim against the bond for damage.

Adding Special Conditions That Contradict Part B

Part C lets you add special conditions, but they must not contradict the standard terms in Part B or breach the unfair contract terms provisions in the Fair Trading Act 2010. A common example: adding a clause that allows more than 4 routine inspections per year, or requiring more than 2 weeks’ rent in advance. These are unenforceable regardless of whether the tenant signed the agreement.

Contracting Out of the Act

It is an offence to contract out of any provision of the Residential Tenancies Act 1987. This means you cannot include clauses that remove or reduce tenant rights established by the Act, even if the tenant agrees to them. The clause is void, and you may face penalties.

Frequently Asked Questions About Form 1AA in WA

Do I need to use Form 1AA in WA? Yes. Under Section 27A of the Residential Tenancies Act 1987, the Form 1AA is the prescribed residential tenancy agreement for all written residential tenancies in Western Australia. You must use this specific form — a generic lease template is not legally sufficient.

What is the maximum security bond in WA? For properties where the rent is at or below the current high-rent threshold described in Consumer Protection’s rental bond guidance, the maximum bond is 4 weeks’ rent. If a pet is permitted, you can also charge a pet bond of up to $350. For properties over that threshold ($1,200 per week in the current guidance), the four-week cap does not apply. Landlord Wise defaults to the standard four-week cap, so high-rent properties should be checked against the current official guidance before signing.

What changed in the March 2026 Form 1AA update? The March 2026 update increased the pet bond from $260 to $350, expanded the pet bond to cover pet damage (not just fumigation), overhauled the bond release process so any party can lodge a release application independently, gave the Commissioner for Consumer Protection power to decide bond disputes without going to court, and tightened the rules around when landlords can ask tenants to sign bond release forms.

Can I add special conditions to a Form 1AA? Yes. Part C of the Form 1AA is specifically designed for special conditions — additional terms that apply to your property. These must not contradict the standard terms in Part B or breach the unfair contract terms provisions in the Fair Trading Act 2010. Landlord Wise lets you add these in plain text and formats them correctly within the document.

What other documents do I need to give my tenant? Along with the signed Form 1AA, you must provide the tenant with a copy of the Form 1AC (Information for Tenant) at signing. You must also complete a Property Condition Report (Form 1) and provide two copies to the tenant within 7 days of them moving in. If strata or community titles by-laws apply, copies of these must also be attached to the agreement.

What is the difference between a periodic and fixed-term tenancy? A periodic tenancy runs indefinitely with no set end date. Either party can end it with written notice — the landlord must give at least 60 days, and the tenant at least 21 days. A fixed-term tenancy runs for a specific period (commonly 6 or 12 months) and ends on the agreed date unless either party gives at least 30 days’ notice before expiry. If neither party gives notice, a fixed-term tenancy automatically becomes periodic after the end date under Section 76C of the Act.

Can I refuse a tenant’s request to keep a pet? Only in limited circumstances. You must respond to a pet request within 14 days. You can refuse without applying to the Commissioner if a written law, local law, or scheme by-law prohibits the pet. For other refusal grounds, including where keeping the pet is likely to cause undue hardship to the landlord or another tenant living at the rental property, you must apply to the Commissioner for Consumer Protection for approval to refuse. If you don’t respond within 14 days, consent is automatically granted. Assistance animals cannot be refused under any circumstances.

Can notices be sent electronically? Yes, but only if the relevant party has agreed to electronic service in Part A of the agreement. The Form 1AA includes a section where each party — lessor, tenant(s), and property manager — can indicate whether they consent to receiving notices by email or facsimile under the Electronic Transactions Act 2011. A party can later withdraw this consent by giving written notice to the other parties.

What happens if I use the wrong version of the Form 1AA? Using a non-prescribed or outdated form for a new residential tenancy can create compliance risk and may make disputes harder to resolve. Always use the current version — as of March 2026, this is the version approved under Section 88C of the Act. Landlord Wise uses the latest recorded prescribed version in the app.

What happens if my tenant doesn’t return the Property Condition Report? If the tenant does not return a copy of the Property Condition Report with their comments within 7 days of receiving it, the tenant is taken to have accepted the report as a true and accurate description of the property’s condition. This is stated in Part A of the Form 1AA itself.

Summary

The Form 1AA is more than a form — it’s the legal foundation of your tenancy. Getting it right protects you in bond disputes, rent arrears, property damage claims, and tenancy terminations. Getting it wrong can leave you exposed.

Landlord Wise helps manage the complexity: automatic bond calculation, guided checks, the latest March 2026 form version, plain-English review, and digital signing.

Related guides for WA landlords

If you’re building out the full WA landlord workflow, these guides connect the lease agreement to the rest of the tenancy process.

Same-state guides

• WA rental bond guide
• Property Condition Report (Form 1) guide
• WA rent increase guide
• WA eviction notice guide
• WA break lease guide

Compare lease agreement guides in other states

• NSW lease agreement guide
• QLD lease agreement guide
• VIC lease agreement guide
• SA lease agreement guide
• Tasmania lease agreement guide
• ACT tenancy agreement guide