Renting guides for ACT tenants
Each guide answers one renting question under ACT law, cites the law it relies on and shows the date it was last checked. Pick a topic, or go straight to free advice if you have a deadline.
Rent, rent increases and bonds
- Rent increases in the ACT: how often, how much, and how to challenge oneThe 12-month rule, 8 weeks' notice, the prescribed amount tied to Canberra rents, renewals, and asking ACAT to review an increase.
- Paying rent in the ACT: methods, receipts and feesHow you can pay, how much rent in advance can be asked for, when you get a receipt, which fees are banned, and how to convert weekly rent to monthly.
- Rental bonds in the ACT: paying, getting it back and disputesThe maximum bond, who lodges it and when, how refunds work, what can be deducted, and what to do if you disagree with a claim.
- Electricity, water and gas: who pays in an ACT rental?Which utility costs the lessor pays, which you pay, what happens with shared meters and meter readings, and where to get help with bills.
Repairs, mould and the condition of your home
- Getting repairs done in an ACT rentalWhat counts as an urgent repair, how long your lessor has, what you can arrange yourself, and what to do if repairs aren't done.
- Mould in your rental: what you can do in the ACTWho is responsible for mould under ACT renting law, how to get it fixed, and what to do if your lessor won't act.
- Ceiling insulation in ACT rentals: the minimum standardWhat the ACT's ceiling insulation standard requires, the deadlines, the exemptions, and how to enforce it if your home doesn't comply.
- Asbestos in a rental home: what ACT tenants need to knowWhat your lessor must tell you about asbestos, what to do if you find damaged material, and the rules for loose-fill (Mr Fluffy) homes.
- Pets in rentals: ACT rules for tenantsWhen you need consent for a pet, why your lessor needs ACAT's approval to refuse, and what conditions they can set.
- Changes you can make to an ACT rentalMinor and special modifications, when your lessor can say no, the 14-day rule, and what you have to put back when you leave.
Leases, moving out and ending a tenancy
- Your lease: the ACT standard residential tenancy termsThe standard terms built into every ACT lease, which extra terms are allowed, posting clauses, and the information you must get before you sign.
- Ending a tenancy in the ACT: notices to vacate and evictionHow you can end your tenancy, the reasons and notice a lessor must give, what happens with rent arrears, and your protections against eviction.
- Breaking a lease in the ACT: what it costs and when it's freeThe break lease fee for leases signed since 10 December 2024, older leases, re-letting, and the situations where you can leave a fixed term early without paying.
- Inspections, access and privacy in an ACT rentalHow often your lessor can inspect, the notice they must give, when they can't come in, and your rights when the home is being sold.
- Moving out: condition reports, the final inspection and your bondHow condition reports protect you, what to expect at the final inspection, how clean the home has to be, and how to handle bond claims.
- ACT renting law changes since 2017A dated timeline of the main changes to ACT renting law, what each one means for tenants, and the changes still before the Legislative Assembly.
Share houses, rooms and apartments
- Share houses in the ACT: a guide for housematesWhether you're a co-tenant, sub-tenant or something else, how bonds work when housemates change, and how to sort out disputes.
- Occupancy agreements: renting a room, student halls and boarding housesWho is an occupant rather than a tenant, the occupancy principles that protect you, deposits and fees, and how an occupancy can be ended.
- Body corporate rules: what they mean for tenants in ACT unitsWhich owners corporation rules you must follow as a tenant, how pets work in units, who fixes common property, and where disputes go.
Free tenancy advice and the tribunal
- Free tenancy advice in the ACT: who to contactThe free services that advise ACT renters on their own situation, who each one helps, and how to reach them.
- ACAT tenancy disputes: how the tribunal works for rentersWhat ACAT can do, what it costs, how conferences and hearings work, and what to do if you can't attend or disagree with a decision.