Renting in Brisbane With No Australian Rental History: What Agents Can and Can't Ask For

If you've just arrived in Brisbane and don't have an Australian rental history, the good news is that the rental application process is tightly regulated — the same statewide rules apply to every applicant, and property managers/owners can only ask for a specific, limited set of information. This guide sets out exactly what's permitted, based only on what the RTA publishes, and is a companion to our guide to moving to Brisbane from overseas and our First-Time Renter's Guide to Brisbane.

The standardised application form

Every property manager/owner must use a standardised tenancy application: Rental Application (Form 22) for general tenancies and moveable dwellings, or Form R22 for rooming accommodation (or their own version, if it complies with the Act). They can only ask for information that appears on this form — nothing more.

What can legally be requested on the application

• name and contact details
• details of any previous tenancy or rooming accommodation agreements (this is where your overseas rental history, if you have any, would go — but there's no requirement that it be Australian)
• current employment details
• income details
• referees
• intended term of the tenancy
• date of birth
• number of people intending to live at the property (and how many are under 18)
• number and type of vehicles to be kept at the property
• financial ability to pay rent
• number and type of pets (if approved).

What can never be requested

Property managers/owners are prohibited from asking any applicant — regardless of rental history — for:

• evidence of legal action the applicant has taken, including tribunal matters
• any Notice to Remedy Breach issued or received
• rental bond history, including any past claims
• credit or bank account transaction history.

Asking for any of this is an offence, carrying a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units.

Supporting documents: the "2 from each category" rule

Property managers/owners can request up to 2 documents from each of these three categories:

1. Proof of identity — e.g. passport, driver's licence, birth certificate. You can either provide a copy, or let the property manager/owner sight the original in person (they can only keep a copy with your consent).
2. Financial ability to pay rent — e.g. payslips, bank statements (without transaction details), Centrelink statements, or proof of savings/assets. If you don't have regular local income (self-employed, casual, newly arrived), you can substitute payslips from previous employment, bank statements or account balance proof, Centrelink documents, or proof of savings.
3. Suitability for the property — additional supporting material you choose to provide.

Important for newcomers: if you're not receiving regular income yet, the RTA explicitly allows alternative financial evidence — proof of savings or assets is a recognised substitute, not just payslips from a current job.

Referees — no restriction on who you nominate

There are no restrictions on who an applicant can nominate as a referee. This means an employer, previous overseas landlord, or another contact who can vouch for your reliability is a legitimate referee — you are not limited to an Australian rental reference. The Act doesn't restrict what a property manager/owner can ask a referee (unlike the strict limits on what they can ask you directly) — the restriction on asking about legal action, breach notices, and bond history applies only to what's asked of the applicant, not what's asked of a referee.

Tenancy databases

Property managers/owners may check tenancy databases as part of assessing an application. If they do, they must tell you which databases they typically use, why they're used (to check rental history), and how you can contact the database operator to get information about what's held on you. Not doing this is an offence.

Voluntary extra information

You can choose to provide more than what's required — for example an employment reference letter, a personal statement, or proof of visa status — and a property manager/owner isn't in breach of the Act for accepting it. But you are not obligated to submit anything beyond what's legally requestable, including personal information you'd rather not share.

Note that the rent itself is also protected once you find a property you want: a property manager/owner can't accept an offer above the advertised price, however keen you are to secure it — see our guide to rent bidding in Brisbane for exactly what's banned and what's still a legitimate negotiation.

If something goes wrong

The RTA can't conciliate disputes about the application process itself, but it can investigate breaches of these rules — for example if you're asked for prohibited information. You can lodge an investigation request with the RTA. If you believe you've faced unlawful discrimination (based on things like race, disability, relationship status, or another protected attribute), that's handled separately by the Queensland Human Rights Commission.

References

• RTA — Application process
• RTA — Tenancy databases

This guide summarises rules published by the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) at the time of writing. Live in Brisbane is an independent project and is not affiliated with the RTA, the Queensland Government, or the Queensland Human Rights Commission. For advice on your specific situation, contact the RTA directly on 1300 366 311 or visit rta.qld.gov.au.