SA Rental Reforms July 2024

South Australian tenants are better protected. Significant changes to rental laws as of 1 July 2024.
What’s Changed?

The 1 July 2024 changes include:

• requiring a prescribed ground for landlords to terminate or not renew a tenancy
• extending the notice period for landlords not renewing a fixed tenancy from 28 days to 60 days
• allowing tenants to have pets in rental homes, subject to approval and reasonable conditions
• requiring compliance with minimum housing standards
• new options supporting tenants experiencing domestic abuse
• new requirements around drug contamination and drug related conduct
• routine inspections capped to 4 per year
• allowing minor alterations or safety modifications to premises (to be removed at end of tenancy)
• ensuring energy and water efficiency standards apply to replacement or installed fixtures, fittings and appliances
• tenants can directly lodge bonds online
• introducing a new registration scheme fordesignated rooming house proprietors
• providing more protections for rooming house residents
• clarity that residential tenancy agreementsmay apply to granny flats
• new protections for water and electricity billing

Earlier changes include:

• more affordable rentalbonds, with the bondthreshold raised to $800
• soliciting of rent biddingbanned
• landlords prohibitedfrom requesting certaininformation fromprospective tenants
• protections relating tothe storage of tenantinformation
• the frequency of rentincreases limited to once ina 12 month period
• no unreasonable refusal ofsub-letting and at no extracost to a tenant
• new and tougher penaltiesunder the ResidentialTenancies Act 1995 and theResidential Parks Act 2007

Note: some items may not apply to those who live in strata titles, community housing, residential parks and SA Housing Authority homes

Further information

More details on these initiatives can be read on the Consumer and Business Services website.
Note: some items may not apply to those who live in strata titles, community housing, residential parks and SA Housing Authority homes
www.cbs.sa.gov.au/rentalreforms