Australia
Last verified August 7, 2026
Written for U.S. passport holders
Bond Rules (New South Wales)
- Rental law is state-based, not federal — this reflects New South Wales specifically; other states (Victoria, Queensland, etc.) set their own rules and caps.
- In NSW, the bond is capped at 4 weeks' rent and must be lodged with NSW Fair Trading's Rental Bonds Online service — landlords cannot simply hold your bond themselves.
Rent Increases & Eviction
- As of October 31, 2024, rent can be increased no more than once every 12 months in NSW.
- As of May 19, 2025, NSW banned 'no-grounds' evictions outright — a landlord must have and be able to show a valid legal reason to end a tenancy, not just decline to renew.
The Gotcha
Two of the biggest tenant protections in NSW — the once-a-year cap on rent increases and the ban on 'no-grounds' evictions — are both very recent (late 2024 and mid-2025). Older advice about Australian renting, or advice calibrated to a different state, can easily be out of date or inapplicable to where you actually are.
Sources
This page was drafted from the primary sources below. Rules change — check the linked page directly before relying on any of this.
- New residential tenancy laws — NSW Fair Trading, NSW Government
- Rental Bonds Online for tenants — NSW Fair Trading, NSW Government