The other knocks
Other knocks, other clocks
A routine inspection is not the only reason a landlord may come to the door. Repairs, smoke alarms, valuations, viewings by buyers and new tenants, and emergencies each carry their own notice, and the shortest of them is none at all.
General information only: the state and territory pages linked on this page are the ones to follow for your own tenancy.
One ruler, one line per reason
The routine inspection’s ruler is a week. The entries below are the other reasons, at their own scale, for the four states and territories whose figures this table holds. An empty cell means no figure for that reason in that state is given here; check that state’s official page, linked below. An empty cell is not a statement that no rule exists.
| Reason for entry | Queensland | Western Australia | South Australia | The ACT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repairs or maintenance | 48 hours | 72 hours, in writing, for non-urgent work | 48 hours inside normal hours, or at the tenant’s request; garden maintenance at a time arranged with the tenant no more than 7 days before the day of entry | 1 week, in writing, for non-urgent repairs; reasonable notice for urgent repairs |
| Checking repairs were done | 48 hours | 1 week, in writing | ||
| Smoke alarms and safety switches | 48 hours | |||
| Valuation | 48 hours | |||
| Showing the property to a prospective tenant | 48 hours | Reasonable notice, in the 21 days before the agreement ends | In the 28 days before the tenancy ends, on a reasonable number of occasions, with reasonable notice | In the last 3 weeks of the tenancy, 24 hours |
| Showing the property to a prospective buyer | 48 hours, once the intention-to-sell notice is given | Reasonable notice, in writing | Not more than 2 occasions in any 7 days, unless you agree otherwise | 48 hours, and no more than 2 inspections a week |
| An emergency | No notice | No notice | No notice |
From RTA Queensland: rules of entry, general tenancies, RTA Queensland: entry to the property, Consumer Protection WA: rent inspections and privacy rights, Residential Tenancies Act 1987 (WA), Residential Tenancies Act 1995 (SA), ACT Government: during a tenancy, Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (ACT).
Emergencies have no line at all
The shortest notice on the ruler is zero, and three jurisdictions say so in their own words. Queensland: the owner or manager can enter at any time without notice in an emergency, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe entry is necessary to protect the premises from damage. Western Australia makes it a term of every agreement that the lessor may enter in any case of emergency. South Australia lists an emergency first among the reasons in its entry section. New South Wales puts emergencies and urgent repairs among the situations where its limits on entry times do not apply.
The ACT asks for notice for urgent repairs: the lessor must give reasonable notice and enter at a reasonable time, having regard to the interests of the tenant and the lessor. Its page lists what counts as urgent, and the list reads like the reasons people call at midnight: a burst water service, a blocked or broken toilet, a serious roof leak, a gas leak, a dangerous electrical fault.
From RTA Queensland: rules of entry, general tenancies, Residential Tenancies Act 1987 (WA), Residential Tenancies Act 1995 (SA), NSW Fair Trading: landlord access and entry, Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (ACT), ACT Government: during a tenancy.
When the home is being sold, the rules change shape
Victoria puts the most conditions around a sale, and a price on the visits. When a provider wants to show the property to renters, it can only be done in the 21 days before the end of the rental agreement named in the notice, no more than twice a week, and for no longer than one hour each time. To show the property to buyers or lenders, the renter must be told the owner is going to sell at least 14 days before the provider wants to enter, using the notice of intention to sell, and the provider must make all reasonable efforts to agree days and times. For each of those sales inspections the provider must pay the renter compensation, either half a day’s rent or $30, whichever is greater: at a weekly rent of $250 that is $30 an inspection, and at $900 it is $64.
Queensland separates the two kinds of viewing. Showing the property to a prospective purchaser is allowed only if the notice of the lessor’s intention to sell was issued before, or with, the entry notice. An open house or on-site auction needs the tenant’s written agreement, and where the tenant does not agree to an open house, the manager or owner can arrange an individual viewing with at least 48 hours’ notice, after a reasonable amount of time has passed since the last one. A prospective tenant or buyer must be accompanied by the manager or owner unless the tenant agrees otherwise.
South Australia requires the landlord to give the tenant written notice of the intention to sell within 14 days of entering the sales agency agreement or deciding to make the premises available, and the premises are not to be advertised or made available for inspection before the day that falls 14 days after that notice. For purchasers, the entry must be at times agreed with the tenant, who must not unreasonably refuse, and the Tribunal can settle a time when agreement cannot be reached. In the ACT, before showing the property to buyers the landlord must write to the tenant to say they intend to sell, and a tenant cannot unreasonably refuse access in that situation. In Western Australia the Act makes the entry rules a term of every residential tenancy agreement, in the listed circumstances and not otherwise, and the consumer page adds that the landlord has to give written notice before running home opens or showing the home to prospective buyers; for showings to prospective new tenants, it says the two of them must agree on a day and time that suits.
From Consumer Affairs Victoria: when a rental provider can enter a property, RTA Queensland: rules of entry, general tenancies, RTA Queensland: open houses and viewings, Residential Tenancies Act 1995 (SA), ACT Government: during a tenancy, Consumer Protection WA: rent inspections and privacy rights, Residential Tenancies Act 1987 (WA).
The tenant’s side of the other knocks
Queensland gives the tenant a path when an entry does not sit right: if a tenant doesn’t want the property manager or owner to enter, they should contact them before the planned entry to try to resolve the issue, and if a tenant refuses entry and no resolution is reached, the manager or owner can use the authority’s dispute resolution service or apply to the Tribunal. A tenant who feels the right to quiet enjoyment is being breached should start by discussing it, then can give a Notice to remedy breach, and either party can request dispute resolution. In Victoria, refusal is specific: a renter can refuse a visit by the provider to show the property to prospective renters when it falls before the last 21 days of the agreement. In Western Australia, entering without proper notice gives the tenant options that start with asking for it not to happen again and reach the Magistrates Court.
From RTA Queensland: rules of entry, general tenancies, Consumer Affairs Victoria: when a rental provider can enter a property, Consumer Protection WA: rent inspections and privacy rights.
Where to check the figure yourself
New South Wales’s page, linked below, states the entry reasons and limits; no other-reason notice figure for it is given here, so check that page for the figure you need. For Tasmania, check the Residential Tenancy Act 1997, linked below; for the Northern Territory, check the Residential Tenancies Act 1999 (NT), linked below.
From NSW Fair Trading: landlord access and entry, Residential Tenancy Act 1997 (Tas), Residential Tenancies Act 1999 (NT).
Read next: How much notice must a landlord give? · What may happen during the visit?
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