TAS Tenancy Info

Renting in Tasmania

Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading has responsibility for a range of tenancy and real estate matters.  The most important legislation administered by the Office is the Residential Tenancy Act 1997, which also covers the Residential Tenancy Commissioner. The Office of the Residential Tenancy Commissioner is also located within Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading.

Whether you are a tenant or a property owner, Renting in Tasmania provides detailed information that will assist you to better understand your rights and obligations under the residential tenancy law.  Disputes over the return of a security deposit are dealt with by the Residential Tenancy Commissioner.

The Residential Tenancy Act 1997 became law on 1 July 1998.

The Act sets out the rules which apply to residential tenancies in Tasmania. For more detailed information you should consult the Residential Tenancy Act 1997, or seek further advice.

When a property is rented there will be an agreement which sets out the terms and conditions of that rental. A tenancy agreement between a property owner and a tenant may be in writing or it may be a verbal agreement.

Where the agreement is in writing, it should be easily legible, clearly expressed and where printed, in 10 points or more. The owner / agent is to give the tenant a copy of the agreement within 14 days of the beginning of the tenancy.

If an agreement is verbal or partly verbal, the owner is to give the tenant a copy of the Renting in Tasmania Booklet. Copies of this booklet can be obtained from Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading, or downloaded below.

For more information visit the Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading Affairs on http://www.consumer.tas.gov.au.

Never sign anything if you are not sure of its meaning.

Before the commencement of the tenancy agreement the agent or lessor must provide, or advise you of how to obtain, a copy of the Consumer Affairs Bureau booklet The Renting Book (you can download it from the Department of Fair Trading website).

This booklet is a general guide to a person’s rights and responsibilities as a tenant, property owner or real estate agent.

When you enter into a tenancy agreement (including oral agreements) you are entering into a legally binding relationship. Tenants and lessors should think carefully before entering into a tenancy agreement as once the agreement is made it is too late to change your mind.

When a lessor grants a tenant a right to occupy a property to use as a residential property, both parties have entered into a residential tenancy agreement. A residential tenancy agreement can be written or oral or a combination of both.

However, it is advisable that all tenancy agreements be in writing to avoid any confusion that may arise as it is very hard to prove what information was included as part of an oral agreement.