Lease agreement review for Australian renters
Plenty of leases contain clauses that are unfair — or that your state’s tenancy law simply doesn’t allow. Signing one doesn’t make it stick. Upload your residential tenancy agreement and we’ll explain your rights and flag anything that doesn’t add up.
Review my contract — freeWhat we check in your lease
- The bond amount, and that it’s lodged with the right authority rather than held by the landlord.
- Rent, and how often and by how much it can go up.
- The landlord’s right to enter, and the notice they owe you first.
- Who pays for water, and who’s responsible for repairs.
- Break-lease and reletting costs if you have to leave early.
- Any clause that tries to sign away a right the law already gives you.
The rules your lease can’t override
State tenancy law sits above your agreement. A clause that contradicts it is void even though you signed it.
- Bond is capped at 4 weeks’ rent for most homes — NSW and VIC where the rent is under $900/week, and QLD for almost all properties since 30 September 2024.
- The bond must be lodged with the state authority — the RTBA in Victoria, Rental Bonds Online in NSW, the RTA in Queensland — never kept by the landlord.
- Rent can only rise once every 12 months in VIC, NSW (since 31 October 2024) and QLD.
- In NSW the landlord can’t ask you to “top up” the bond part-way through the tenancy.
Clauses that aren’t worth the paper
- A blanket demand for paid professional cleaning at the end — you generally only have to leave the place reasonably clean.
- A flat “no pets” ban — in Victoria the landlord needs a VCAT order to refuse one.
- Being charged for the landlord’s own repairs or maintenance.
- A bond set above the legal cap.
- Rent reviews dressed up in vague “market rate” wording, more often than the law allows.
A real example
A renter is handed a lease with two clauses: rent reviewed every six months, and $350 for professional carpet cleaning on the way out. Both fail. Rent can only go up once a year, and you’re only required to leave the place reasonably clean — not to hire a cleaner. Catching that before signing saved a few hundred dollars a year and an argument over the bond at move-out.
Don’t sign a lease you haven’t had checked.
Upload your tenancy agreement and we’ll flag the unfair and unenforceable bits — free.
Review my leaseFrequently asked questions
Can my landlord keep my bond?+
Only for specific, justified reasons — and in most states the bond is held by a government authority, not the landlord, so they can’t simply withhold it.
Are “professional cleaning” clauses enforceable?+
Often not. You’re generally required to leave the property reasonably clean, not to pay for a professional clean unless specific conditions apply.
How often can my rent go up?+
In VIC, NSW and QLD, generally no more than once every 12 months. A clause allowing more frequent rises usually won’t hold up.
What if a clause breaks the law?+
An unlawful clause is usually void even if you signed it. We flag these and point you to your state tenancy authority.
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General information generated by AI. Not legal advice.