- Tenancy Agreement – aka lease- is a legal document signed by yourself and the lessor outlining rights and responsibilities. Can be fixed (has an end date) or periodic (no end date).
- Rent – money that you agree in your tenancy agreement to pay to live in your place. Is generally paid 2 weeks in advance. If you are on a Residential Tenancy Agreement, rent can only be raised if it has been 6 months since your last rent raise, or the start of your agreement. The lessor must give two months written notice of a rent increase. If you are on a Rooming Accommodation Agreement, you must be given 30 days notice of any rent increase. Additionally any raise must be outlined in your agreement (if on a fixed term agreement) or you must be on a periodic lease. For more information contact the RTA.
- Bond – is the money you pay when you begin your tenancy to protect the lessor from losses due to unpaid rent or damage. Bond is 4 weeks rent if rent is $700 or under. If over $700 bond can be more. Bond must be lodged by the lessor with the RTA within 10 days of receipt and the tenant will receive verification of this.
Bond cannot be taken from a prospective tenant until that tenant has seen a copy of the proposed agreement (including any special terms), and they have committed to it. Until you have committed to the tenancy, the only money a prospective lessor can take is a key deposit (if you want to go and look at the place) or a holding deposit.
- Head tenant – person who signs lease with the lessor and then subleases
- Sub–tenant – person who leases from the head tenant.
- Co-tenant – person who also signs the lease and has equal legal responsibility for the tenancy.
- Dispute Resolution Service – an RTA service to help you deal with conflicts with a lessor, or head tenant if you can't solve the problem yourself.
- Tenancy Databases –There are laws about how these can be used and who can be listed on them. Not all tenant history is listed. A lessor must take action to have the tenant listed, and only in certain circumstances. For more information see the RTA or Tenants' Union of Queensland.
- RTA – Residential Tenancies Authority
- Fixed Term Tenancy – tenancy agreement has a fixed start and finish date. On a Residential Tenancy Agreement, if the lessor does not want the tenancy to continue after the finish date “without grounds” the lessor must give the tenant 2 months notice. If the tenant wants to end the tenancy they must give 14 days notice, but handover day cannot be before the end date of the agreement. If you are on a Rooming Accommodation Agreement, the provider must give you 14 days notice and as a resident you need to give 7 days notice.
- Periodic Tenancy – tenancy agreement has no fixed end date. Rules apply to how the tenancy can be ended by both the lessor and tenant. Under the Residential Tenancy Agreement 2 months notice must be given by the lessor and 14 days by the tenant if the termination is “without grounds”. Under the Rooming Accommodation Agreement, 30 days must be given by the lessor and 7 days by the tenant for termination “without grounds”.
For further information about the terms above check out the RTA website and the Tenants' Union of Queensland website.