The hours of entry light only part of the day

The eight bands, side by side

New South Wales writes its band largest and softest: in most circumstances, entry is not permitted on Sundays, public holidays, or outside the hours of 8am to 8pm. Even when correct notice has been given, those limits stand. They give way in an emergency, for urgent repairs, if the property is abandoned, if the Tribunal orders otherwise, or if the tenant agrees.

South Australia keeps the same band by defining it. In its entry section, normal hours means the hours between 8am and 8pm on any day other than a Sunday or public holiday, and the written notice for an inspection must specify a period of up to two hours, within normal hours, in which the entry will occur.

Victoria’s band is two hours shorter at the end of the day, but wider over the week: a rental provider or agent may enter the property between 8am and 6pm on any day except a public holiday. Any day is the striking part. A Sunday is an ordinary day in Victoria; a public holiday is the one day the band closes. Entry outside these times is possible only if the renter agrees, and that agreement must be made no more than 7 days before the provider wants to enter.

From NSW Fair Trading: landlord access and entry, Residential Tenancies Act 1995 (SA), Consumer Affairs Victoria: when a rental provider can enter a property.

Queensland’s Monday to Saturday, and the west’s two lanes

Queensland draws the days as well as the hours: entry must be between 8am and 6pm Monday to Saturday, and entry outside these hours, for example on a Sunday or a public holiday, is permitted only if the tenant agrees. The authority’s viewings page says the same of entry generally: at a reasonable time, and unless the tenant agrees, not on Sundays or public holidays, or any other day before 8am or after 6pm.

Western Australia is the only state or territory shown here whose Saturday is shorter than its weekdays. Entry on a weekday is allowed only from 8am to 6pm, on a Saturday only from 9am to 5pm, or at a different time if the tenant and the landlord agree on one. The Act repeats the weekday and Saturday times as the definition of a reasonable time for entry. The consumer page also notes shift work: where a tenant works shifts, a time that suits better may need to be arranged.

From RTA Queensland: entry to the property, RTA Queensland: open houses and viewings, Consumer Protection WA: rent inspections and privacy rights, Residential Tenancies Act 1987 (WA).

The ACT closes Sundays as well, unless asked

The ACT’s general rule reads as a prohibition with doors: unless the tenant agrees, or the landlord needs to make urgent repairs or to enter for health or safety reasons in relation to the premises, the landlord cannot access the property on Sundays, on public holidays, or before 8am and after 6pm. The tenant may permit access at any time, and the territory’s page puts it in the first person: you may agree to give your landlord access to the property at any time if you wish. When a landlord does go, they must give the tenant notice first and go at a time that is reasonable for both sides; a standard inspection needs at least a week in writing.

From Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (ACT), ACT Government: during a tenancy.

Agreeing to another time

Queensland allows entry at any time without notice if the tenant agrees, but only at the time agreed to. The owner or manager can also only enter on a Sunday, a public holiday, or between 6pm and 8am with the tenant’s agreement. Western Australia’s third lane is a different time the tenant and the landlord settle on. In Victoria the agreement must be fresh: made no more than 7 days before the entry it covers. And in the ACT the tenant’s consent opens any hour of any day.

When a renter may refuse the day outright

Two of the official pages here spell out the tenant’s right to say no to a time, and in both it reaches the same two things: a property inspection outside the band, and one with the wrong paper behind it. In Western Australia a tenant can refuse the landlord entry for reasons like these: a public holiday, or a visit for which they were not given proper written notice. In Victoria a renter can refuse entry for a visit that is not between 8am and 6pm or falls on a public holiday, for a visit with no written notice behind it, and for a notice that was not given properly, for example one that was not given far enough in advance.

Where a renter thinks the provider is acting unreasonably, Victoria’s page points to the Tribunal: VCAT can make a compensation or prohibition order if a provider has breached their duties, and it can stop the provider and their agent from entering the property for a set period.

From Consumer Protection WA: rent inspections and privacy rights, Consumer Affairs Victoria: when a rental provider can enter a property.

Where to check the hours yourself

For Tasmania, the entry rules sit in the Residential Tenancy Act 1997; for the hours, check the Act, linked below. For the Northern Territory, check the Residential Tenancies Act 1999 (NT), linked below.

From Residential Tenancy Act 1997 (Tas), Residential Tenancies Act 1999 (NT).