QLD Rent Increase Rules: 2-Month Notice & 12-Month Property Limit

This guide covers QLD residential tenancy rent increase notices for landlords under the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008. It does not cover UK Rent Repayment Orders, commercial lease rent reviews, social housing, rent assistance, or rent increase rules in other Australian states.

If you’re a self-managing landlord in Queensland, increasing your tenant’s rent involves more legal requirements than many landlords realise. Since 6 June 2024, the 12-month minimum between rent increases is attached to the property itself — not the tenancy agreement and not the tenant. This means you can’t reset the clock by signing a new lease with a new tenant or by renewing an existing lease.

Get the process wrong — increase too soon, skip the written notice, fail to include the date of the last increase — and the tenant is not obliged to pay the higher amount. Get it deliberately wrong, and you face a penalty of up to 20 penalty units under the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (the Act).

This guide covers every rule a QLD landlord needs to follow when increasing rent: the frequency limit, the notice requirements for periodic and fixed-term agreements, what the notice must contain, what you cannot increase rent for, how tenants can challenge an increase, and how to adjust the bond after an increase.

If you’re changing rent during an existing tenancy, it helps to review the QLD lease agreement guide and the broader QLD rental laws guide first. If money is later disputed at the end of the tenancy, our QLD rental bond guide guide is the other page you’ll most often need.

The 12-Month Rule — Attached to the Property

The single most important rule for QLD rent increases is Section 93 of the Act: a landlord or their agent must not increase, or purport to increase, the rent payable by a tenant less than 12 months after the last rent increase for the residential premises.

Before 6 June 2024, the 12-month restriction was tied to the tenancy. If a tenant left and a new tenant signed a lease at a higher rent, the clock reset. The 2024 amendments changed this. The restriction is now attached to the property, and it applies regardless of whether the landlord, the agent, or the tenant has changed since the last increase.

The Act provides a clear example in Section 93(3): if rent was increased on 1 November 2024 under an agreement with Tenant A, and a new agreement is entered into with Tenant B commencing 1 February 2025, the rent must not be increased until 12 months after 1 November 2024. The fact that Tenant B is a different person on a different agreement is irrelevant — the property’s rent was last increased on 1 November, and 12 months must pass from that date.

This also applies across changes of ownership. Under Section 93(5), it does not matter whether or not the landlord or agent who increases the rent is the same person as the landlord or agent who last increased the rent. If you purchase a property mid-tenancy and the previous owner increased the rent six months ago, you cannot increase it again until the full 12 months have passed.

There is one important nuance: you can give notice of a rent increase within the 12-month period, provided the increase does not take effect until the 12-month period has ended (Section 93(6)). So if the last increase was on 1 March 2025, you could give notice on 1 November 2025 for an increase effective 1 March 2026 — as long as the effective date is at least 12 months after the last increase.

What Counts as a “Rent Increase” for the 12-Month Rule

Under Section 93(2), rent is increased for the residential premises in two situations. First, a rent increase happens during the term of a residential tenancy agreement. Second, a new agreement is entered into for the premises and, immediately before rent becomes payable under the new agreement, either no rent was payable for the premises, or the amount of rent payable was less than the rent that will be payable under the new agreement.

This means setting a higher rent in a new lease with a new tenant counts as a rent increase for the purposes of the 12-month rule — the clock resets from that date for the property.

Rent Decreases Do Not Reset the Clock

If you and your tenant agree to decrease the rent, or if QCAT orders a decrease, and the rent later reverts to the amount payable before the decrease, this reversion is not considered a rent increase. So a temporary rent reduction followed by a return to the original rent does not trigger the 12-month restriction.

Exempt Landlords

The 12-month frequency limit does not apply to exempt landlords (Section 93(7)). Under Section 82A of the Act, an exempt landlord includes community housing providers receiving funding under the Housing Act 2003 where rent is determined by household income, landlords receiving funding under a Community Services Act 2007 declaration where rent is based on household income, the chief executive of the housing department acting on behalf of the State, the State where the tenant is a State officer or employee, and replacement landlords under community housing provider tenancy agreements. If you are a private landlord, you are not exempt.

How to Give Notice of a Rent Increase

Section 91 of the Act sets out the requirements for rent increase notices. The rules differ depending on whether you have a periodic or fixed-term agreement.

What the Notice Must Contain

Every rent increase notice must be in writing and must state three things (Section 91(3)):

The amount of the increased rent, the day from when the increased rent is payable, and the day the rent was last increased for the premises. The requirement to include the date of the last rent increase was added by the 2024 amendments — if you are using an older template or form that doesn’t include this field, update it.

There is no prescribed form for a rent increase notice in Queensland. The Act simply requires written notice containing these three elements. You can write a letter, send a formal notice on your own letterhead, or use any format — provided it contains all three required pieces of information.

Periodic Agreements

For a periodic (month-to-month) agreement, you can increase the rent at any time provided it has been at least 12 months since the last rent increase for the property. You must give the tenant at least 2 months’ written notice before the increase takes effect (Section 91(4)).

The effective date of the increase must not be earlier than the later of two months after the notice is given, or the end of the 12-month minimum period under Section 93. So if the last increase was 10 months ago, you can give notice now, but the effective date must be at least 12 months after the last increase — even if that’s more than 2 months from the date of your notice.

Fixed-Term Agreements

Rent cannot be increased during a fixed-term agreement unless all of the following conditions are met (Section 91(7)):

The agreement provides for a rent increase, the agreement states the amount of the increase or how the amount is to be worked out, and the increase is made in accordance with those terms. If your lease doesn’t include a rent increase clause with a stated amount or calculation method, you cannot increase the rent until the fixed term ends.

Even where the agreement does provide for an increase, you must still give the tenant at least 2 months’ written notice of the increase. The rent increase does not take effect automatically just because it’s written into the agreement — you must issue a separate written notice (as confirmed by the RTA’s factsheet on rent payments).

The 12-month rule still applies. Even if the fixed-term agreement provides for an annual increase, the increase cannot take effect less than 12 months after the last rent increase for the property.

Between Fixed-Term Agreements

When a fixed-term agreement ends and you and the tenant sign a new fixed-term agreement, you can set a different rent in the new agreement. However, the 12-month frequency rule still applies — you cannot set a higher rent in the new agreement if rent was last increased for the property less than 12 months ago.

If a new agreement is not signed and the tenancy rolls over to a periodic agreement, the rent carries over at the existing amount. You can then increase the rent by giving the tenant at least 2 months’ notice, provided 12 months have passed since the last increase.

If you want to increase rent at the point when a fixed-term agreement ends and a new one begins, there is no requirement to serve a formal rent increase notice — the new agreed rent in the new agreement is sufficient. However, 12 months must still have elapsed since the last increase for the property.

What You Cannot Increase Rent For

The 2024 amendments introduced two specific prohibitions on what a rent increase can relate to (Section 91(6)(c)):

You cannot increase rent in connection with bringing the property into compliance with the prescribed minimum housing standards. If you need to install safety switches, window locks, or other items required by the minimum housing standards that took effect on 1 September 2023 (for new and renewing tenancies) and 1 September 2024 (for all tenancies), you cannot pass those costs to the tenant through a rent increase.

You also cannot increase rent in connection with allowing a tenant to keep a pet or working dog at the property. If you approve a pet request, you cannot then increase the rent to cover the cost of having an animal on the property.

These are not discretionary guidelines — the Act explicitly states that the increased rent is payable by the tenant only if the increase does not relate to either of these matters.

The Tenant’s Right to Challenge a Rent Increase

Under Section 92, if a tenant believes the proposed rent increase is excessive or is not payable under the Act, they can apply to QCAT for an order reducing or setting aside the increase. The tenant must apply within 30 days after receiving the notice, and for a fixed-term agreement, the application must be made before the term ends.

What QCAT Considers

QCAT can make one of two orders: reduce the amount of the proposed increase by a stated amount, or set aside the proposed increase entirely. When making its decision, QCAT will consider the range of market rents usually charged for comparable properties in the area, the difference between the proposed rent and the current rent, the state of repair of the property, the term of the tenancy, the period since the last rent increase (if any), if the proposed increase relates to the prescribed minimum housing standards — any repairs or maintenance carried out to the premises or inclusions, if the proposed increase relates to keeping a pet or working dog — the approval to keep the pet or the right to keep the working dog, and anything else QCAT considers relevant.

This means a rent increase that is technically lawful — correct notice, correct timing — can still be reduced or set aside if QCAT considers it excessive relative to the market. The state of repair of the property is particularly relevant: if the property has significant maintenance issues, QCAT is less likely to support a large increase.

Undue Hardship Application by the Landlord

If you face genuine financial hardship because you cannot increase rent during the 12-month minimum period, you can apply to QCAT under Section 93B for an order permitting an early increase. QCAT may permit the increase, but must have regard to any representations made by the tenant about the proposed increase and its likely effect on the affordability of the premises and the tenant’s ability to continue paying rent.

This is a narrow provision intended for genuine hardship — for example, a significant unexpected increase in mortgage repayments or rates — not a general workaround for the 12-month rule. If you use this provision, be prepared for the tenant to present their own financial circumstances to the Tribunal.

Evidence of the Last Rent Increase

The 2024 amendments introduced Section 93A, which gives tenants the right to request written evidence of the date of the last rent increase for the property. If a tenant makes this request in writing, you must provide the evidence within 14 days. Failure to do so carries a maximum penalty of 40 penalty units.

Examples of acceptable evidence include a copy of a previous tenancy agreement for the property, a written rent increase notice for the property, or a copy of the rent ledger for the property. Before providing this evidence, you must remove or de-identify any personal information about other people — for example, the previous tenant’s name if you are providing a copy of a previous agreement.

You must also include the date of the last rent increase in every new tenancy agreement (Form 18a). This requirement was introduced to support the property-based frequency limit — if the date is in the agreement, both parties know when the next increase is permitted.

There is a transitional exception: if the property was purchased between 6 June 2023 and 6 June 2025 and you do not have information about the previous rent increase, or if the property was purchased within 12 months before the tenancy commenced and you don’t have the information, you are not required to include this date. Similarly, if the property is being rented for the first time, the date of the last rent increase is the date the property was first rented.

Increasing the Bond After a Rent Increase

When rent increases, you may also want to increase the bond to maintain the maximum permitted amount (4 weeks’ rent). Under the Act, a bond increase is permitted if it has been at least 11 months since the last bond increase or the start of the tenancy. You must give the tenant at least one month’s written notice of the bond increase.

Any additional bond must be lodged with the RTA using a Bond Lodgement (Form 2). The maximum bond that can be taken is equivalent to 4 weeks’ rent, regardless of the weekly rent amount.

Rent Bidding Is Banned

Since 6 June 2024, all forms of rent bidding are banned in Queensland. You must not solicit, invite, or accept offers of rent above the advertised amount. You also must not accept more rent in advance than 2 weeks’ rent for periodic agreements or 1 month’s rent for other tenancy agreements.

This is relevant when setting rent for a new tenancy — you must advertise a fixed price and cannot accept higher offers. The ban applies to both landlords and their agents.

Step-by-Step: How to Increase Rent in QLD

Step 1: Check the date of the last rent increase for the property. This is the property’s last increase date, not the date you last increased rent on this particular tenant. Check the tenancy agreement, your rent records, or ask the RTA if you took over an existing tenancy.

Step 2: Confirm at least 12 months have passed (or will have passed by the effective date). If the last increase was less than 12 months ago, you cannot increase rent yet — but you can give notice now for a date that falls after the 12-month mark.

Step 3: For a fixed-term agreement, check whether the agreement allows a rent increase. The agreement must explicitly provide for a rent increase and state the amount or how it will be worked out. If it doesn’t, you must wait until the fixed term ends.

Step 4: Prepare a written notice. The notice must include the new rent amount, the date it takes effect, and the date rent was last increased for the property. There is no prescribed form — a letter or notice document is sufficient.

Step 5: Give the notice to the tenant at least 2 months before the effective date.

Step 6: If increasing the bond, give a separate written notice at least 1 month before the bond increase. Lodge any additional bond with the RTA using Form 2.

If a rent dispute ends with the tenancy changing or ending, pair this page with our QLD eviction notice guide and QLD break lease guide guides. For the evidence that often sits behind later claims, our QLD condition report guide guide is worth keeping handy as well.

Common Mistakes Landlords Make

Increasing Rent Within 12 Months of the Last Increase

This is the most common error, especially since the 2024 amendments changed the rule from tenancy-based to property-based. If you purchased a property and the previous owner increased the rent 8 months ago, you must wait the remaining 4 months. If a previous tenant left and you sign a new tenant at a higher rent, the clock resets from that date.

Not Giving Written Notice

Verbal notice is not sufficient. The Act requires written notice containing the new amount, the effective date, and the date of the last increase. Without it, the tenant is not obliged to pay the higher amount.

Increasing Rent During a Fixed-Term Agreement Without a Rent Review Clause

If the fixed-term agreement doesn’t include a clause providing for rent increases with a stated amount or calculation method, you cannot increase rent during the term. This catches landlords who use simple lease templates that don’t include a rent review clause. If you want the ability to increase rent during a fixed term, include the clause and the specific increase (or formula) when drafting the agreement.

Failing to Include the Date of the Last Increase in the Notice

Since the 2024 amendments, the rent increase notice must include the date of the last rent increase for the property. Older notice templates may not include this field. If your notice omits it, you’ve failed to comply with Section 91(3)(c) and the tenant may challenge the notice.

Increasing Rent for Minimum Housing Standards or Pets

You cannot increase rent in connection with bringing the property into compliance with minimum housing standards or with allowing a pet. If you’ve recently installed safety switches or window locks to meet the minimum standards, that cost cannot be recovered through a rent increase.

Frequently Asked Questions About Rent Increases in QLD

How often can I increase rent in QLD? No more than once every 12 months. Since 6 June 2024, this limit is attached to the property, not the tenancy. It applies regardless of whether the tenant, the landlord, or the agent has changed since the last increase.

How much notice do I need to give for a rent increase in QLD? At least 2 months’ written notice for general tenancies. The notice must state the new rent amount, the date it takes effect, and the date of the last rent increase for the property.

Can I increase rent during a fixed-term lease in QLD? Only if the tenancy agreement provides for a rent increase and states the amount of the increase or how the amount will be worked out. If the agreement doesn’t include this clause, you must wait until the fixed term ends. Even with a clause, you must still give 2 months’ written notice and the 12-month rule applies.

Is there a cap on how much I can increase rent by in QLD? There is no legislated cap on the amount of a rent increase. However, if a tenant believes the increase is excessive, they can apply to QCAT within 30 days to have it reduced or set aside. QCAT will consider comparable market rents, the state of repair of the property, the length of the tenancy, and other relevant factors.

Can I increase rent when a new tenant moves in? Yes, but the 12-month rule still applies. If rent was increased for the property less than 12 months ago — whether for the current tenant, a previous tenant, or by a previous owner — you cannot set a higher rent until 12 months have passed from the last increase.

What happens if my tenant disputes the rent increase? The tenant can apply to QCAT within 30 days of receiving your notice. QCAT can reduce the increase or set it aside entirely. The tenant must pay the current rent until QCAT makes a decision — the dispute does not create a right to withhold rent.

Can I increase rent to cover the cost of minimum housing standard upgrades? No. The Act explicitly prohibits rent increases that relate to compliance with the prescribed minimum housing standards. This includes items like safety switches, window locks, and other requirements that took effect in 2023 and 2024.

Can I increase rent because I allowed a pet? No. The Act prohibits rent increases that relate to keeping a pet or working dog at the property.

Do I need to use a specific form for a rent increase notice? No. Unlike many other tenancy notices in QLD, there is no prescribed form for a rent increase notice. You can use any written format, provided it includes the new rent amount, the effective date, and the date of the last rent increase for the property.

Can I increase the bond when I increase the rent? Yes. The bond can be increased if at least 11 months have passed since the last bond increase or the start of the tenancy. You must give the tenant at least 1 month’s written notice, and the additional bond must be lodged with the RTA using Form 2. The maximum bond is 4 weeks’ rent.

What if I don’t know the date of the last rent increase for the property? If you purchased the property between 6 June 2023 and 6 June 2025 and don’t have this information, or if the property was purchased within 12 months before the tenancy commenced and you don’t have the information, you are not required to include the date of the last increase in the tenancy agreement. For properties being rented for the first time, the date of the last rent increase is the date the property was first rented.

Can I apply to QCAT for an early rent increase? Yes, but only on grounds of undue hardship. Under Section 93B, you can apply to QCAT for permission to increase rent within the 12-month period if you would be caused undue financial hardship otherwise. QCAT must consider the tenant’s representations about affordability and their ability to continue paying rent.

Summary

Increasing rent in Queensland is straightforward if you follow the rules, but the consequences of getting it wrong are real — the tenant isn’t obliged to pay an increase that doesn’t comply with the Act, and QCAT can set aside or reduce even a properly noticed increase if it’s excessive.

The key points: 12 months must pass between increases for the property (not just the tenancy), you must give at least 2 months’ written notice, the notice must include the new amount, the effective date, and the date of the last increase, and you cannot increase rent for minimum housing standards compliance or for allowing a pet. For fixed-term agreements, a rent increase is only possible if the agreement specifically provides for it.

The 2024 reforms fundamentally changed how the frequency limit works. If you’re still thinking of it as a per-tenancy restriction, update your approach — QCAT and the RTA are working from the property-based rule.

Related guides for QLD landlords

If you are building out the full landlord workflow for this state, these guides connect this page to the rest of the tenancy process.

Same-state guides

• QLD lease agreement guide
• QLD rental bond guide
• QLD condition report guide
• QLD eviction notice guide
• QLD break lease guide

Compare rent increase guides in other states

• WA rent increase guide
• NSW rent increase guide
• VIC rent increase guide
• SA rent increase guide
• Tasmania rent increase guide
• ACT rent increase guide