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SA landlords blocked from seeking irrelevant tenant details
South Australian landlords will no longer be able to request irrelevant personal information from prospective tenants, as the state moves to strengthen renters’ privacy protections.
The South Australian government has introduced a new prescribed rental application form in a bid to protect prospective tenants’ privacy further.
The new form has been designed to ensure that information requested by landlords and agents remains relevant to the potential tenancy, thereby preventing them from asking for irrelevant personal details.
The prescribed application form will be available for use from 1 September 2025, and there will be a transition period until 1 January 2026 before it becomes mandatory.
The form’s development followed last year’s reforms and marked one of the final steps in the national cabinet’s Better Deal for Renters plan.
In July 2024, landlords and agents were prohibited from requiring prospective tenants to provide more than two documents in each of the following categories: verifying identity, financial ability to pay rent, and suitability.
However, tenants are still able to offer to provide further documentation that might assist in their application.
Additionally, the state government introduced a prescribed list of reasons for landlords to end a tenancy, and extended the notice period to end a fixed-term tenancy from 28 to 60 days.
Other protections have also been introduced, including landlords facing penalties if their property fails to meet minimum housing standards and rent increases being limited to once a year.
Additionally, tenants can have pets in rental homes under reasonable conditions set by the landlord.
“These reforms, which took effect in July 2024, are the most significant reforms to our state’s rental laws in more than 30 years,” SA Consumer and Business Services said.
“South Australia has led the way in better protecting tenants and delivering on the national cabinet agreement, while still ensuring the rights of landlords are upheld,” it concluded.
