Practice area
Residential Tenancies
Notices, rent, bonds and possession disputes for tenants, landlords and agents under each state and territory’s residential tenancies law.
Jurisdiction
Tasks
GreenLawyer reviewYellowClose supervisionRedLawyer-led
| Task | How AI is used | Human involvement | What the lawyer must review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build the tenancy notice, hearing and bond deadline register | From the agreement, the notices, the tribunal correspondence and the bond documents the lawyer uploads, extract each notice with its type, ground, date given, method of service and stated termination date, each listing date, and each bond deadline, with page references. | GreenLawyer review | The lawyer checks each entry against the document, computes the notice periods from the statute, and enters the deadlines in the diary. |
| Check a landlord's termination notice for validity | Working with the lawyer from the notice, the agreement and the attachments, set out the ground relied on, the form used, the notice period given, the method and date of service and the supporting documents attached, against the requirements the lawyer identifies for that State. | YellowClose supervision | The lawyer decides whether the ground is one the statute allows on that date, whether the period is long enough for the agreement type and the method of service, whether required documents were attached, and whether the notice is valid. |
| Prepare the tribunal application for a termination and possession order | Working with the lawyer from the notice, the agreement, the rent ledger and the firm's template, draft the application in the prescribed form with the ground, the orders sought and the documents to be filed. | YellowClose supervision | The lawyer confirms the notice was valid and the termination date has passed, settles the orders sought, checks every fact stated against the file, and signs off before filing. |
| Reconcile the rent ledger for an arrears notice or claim | From the agreement, the rent ledger, bank deposits and receipts the lawyer supplies, lay out each rent period with the amount due, the amount paid and the running balance, flag mismatches between ledger and deposits, and show the arrears at the notice date. | GreenLawyer review | The lawyer checks the reconciliation against the deposits, decides which payments are allocated to which period, and confirms the arrears figure before any notice is served or answered. |
| Build the bond claim schedule from the condition reports | From the ingoing and outgoing condition reports, the photographs and the invoices the lawyer supplies, set out room by room each item where the reports differ, the photograph and invoice for it, and the amount claimed. | YellowClose supervision | The lawyer decides which items are beyond fair wear and tear, which amounts are reasonable, and whether the claim should be made, conceded or disputed. |
| Respond to a rent increase notice | Working with the lawyer from the agreement, the rent history and the notice, set out the date and amount of each past increase, the notice given, and the increase terms in the agreement, against the rules the lawyer identifies. | YellowClose supervision | The lawyer decides whether the increase is lawful in its timing, notice and amount, whether the agreement permits it, and what the tenant or landlord should do, and settles any response. |
| Advise a landlord on a ground for ending the tenancy | From the landlord's instructions and the agreement, extract the facts relevant to each ground the lawyer identifies into a table with the supporting documents each would need. The tool does not write the advice. | RedLawyer-led | The lawyer decides which ground is genuinely available, what supporting documents and notice period it needs, what restrictions follow such as a re-letting exclusion period, and writes the advice. |
| Advise a tenant ending a tenancy because of domestic or family violence | From the documents the client chooses to provide, list which accepted forms of evidence the client already holds and what the local scheme requires. The tool writes nothing in the notice or the advice and receives no address or details of the other party. | RedLawyer-led | The lawyer advises on the right to end the tenancy, the evidence required, the termination date, liability for rent and damage, the bond, and the client's safety, and prepares the notice with the client. |
| Prepare the party's statement for the tenancy hearing | The tool writes nothing into the statement or affidavit. It may produce a strictly tabular, source-tagged list of the documents the party refers to, such as notices, the ledger, condition reports and photographs. | RedLawyer-led | The lawyer takes the landlord's, agent's or tenant's account in their own words and confirms it reflects their own knowledge before it is signed or filed. |
| Prepare the tenant's response to a termination or possession application | Working with the lawyer from the application, the notice, the agreement, the ledger and the tenant's instructions, draft the tenant's response setting out the defects in the notice, the disputed facts and the orders the tenant asks for. | YellowClose supervision | The lawyer decides the grounds of opposition, checks every fact against the documents, decides whether to seek more time or a different order, and confirms the tenant approves the response. |
| Seek more time to leave after a possession order | Working with the lawyer from the order, the tenant's circumstances and the supporting documents, draft the application or request for a delay, setting out the hardship and the date the tenant can leave. | YellowClose supervision | The lawyer confirms the forum's power to delay or suspend the order, checks the hardship evidence, and confirms the proposed date is realistic for the tenant. |
| Build the re-letting exclusion register for properties ended on a no-re-let ground | From the termination notices and the landlord's portfolio records the lawyer supplies, list each property ended on a ground that carries a re-letting exclusion period, the ground, the termination date and the date the exclusion ends. | GreenLawyer review | The lawyer checks each ground and period against the statute, confirms the end dates, and advises the landlord and agent before any property is re-let. |
| Prepare a breach notice for unpaid rent or another breach | Working with the lawyer from the reconciled ledger or the evidence of the breach and the prescribed form, draft the breach notice with the breach, the amount or remedy required and the date by which it must be remedied. | YellowClose supervision | The lawyer confirms the breach is established, checks the amount against the reconciled ledger, confirms the form and the remedy period, and approves the notice before it is served. |
| Prepare a termination notice on a sale or renovation ground with its supporting documents | Working with the lawyer from the contract for sale or the renovation scope and the prescribed form, draft the notice and assemble the supporting documents and information statement the ground requires. | YellowClose supervision | The lawyer confirms the ground is genuinely available, checks the supporting documents say what the ground requires, confirms the notice period, and warns the landlord of the offence of giving false or misleading supporting documents. |
| Dispute a landlord's bond claim for a tenant | Working with the lawyer from the landlord's claim, the condition reports, the tenant's photographs and receipts, draft the tenant's response item by item, conceding or disputing each amount with the evidence. | YellowClose supervision | The lawyer decides which items are fair wear and tear or unsupported, checks each response against the evidence, and confirms the tenant approves what is conceded. |
| Advise a tenant on a notice given in retaliation or for a discriminatory reason | From the notice, the tenant's recent requests and complaints and the correspondence, build a dated table of what the tenant did, when the notice followed, and what the notice says. The tool does not write the advice. | RedLawyer-led | The lawyer decides whether the notice was given because the tenant exercised a legal right or for a discriminatory reason, what the tenant can do, and writes the advice. |
| Check a rental property against the minimum standards and safety-check obligations | Working with the lawyer from the property records, inspection reports and safety check certificates, list each standard and safety obligation the lawyer identifies against the evidence held and its date. | YellowClose supervision | The lawyer decides whether each obligation is met, which are overdue, and what the landlord must do before letting or renewing. |
| Advise a landlord or agent who has received a family violence termination notice | From the notice and the tenancy records, extract the termination date, the co-tenants and the bond position into a table. The tool receives no evidence of the violence and writes nothing in the advice. | RedLawyer-led | The lawyer advises on the validity of the notice, the landlord's confidentiality obligations, the position of co-tenants, the bond and any claims, and writes the advice. |
Firm-wide obligations
Checks that apply across files.
Trust accounting & handling client moneyCosts, billing & litigation fundingClient-facing & access-to-justice AI toolsIncoming evidence — deepfakes & synthetic documentsAI decision systemsConfidentiality & client informationAML/CTF — the practice as a reporting entity
Precedents for this area
- Form
Tenancy and social housing application (NCAT Consumer and Commercial Division): completion guide
Link to NCAT's tenancy and social housing application with a guide to the dispute types, naming the respondent, stating the orders sought by section of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010, and lodging online.
AI use Yellow - Checklist
Landlord’s termination notice validity checklist: grounds, notice periods and exclusion periods (NSW)
Checklist to test a NSW landlord’s termination notice under the 2025 reasonable-grounds regime: form and signature, the ground relied on, the minimum notice period for periodic, short fixed term and other fixed term agreements, supporting documents, long tenancies and re-letting limits.
AI use Yellow - Form
General application to the Residential Tenancies List (VCAT): completion guide
Link to VCAT's general application to the Residential Tenancies List with a guide to who can apply, the section number for the dispute, interstate parties, supporting documents, and the faster online options.
AI use Yellow - Notice
Tenant’s termination notice because of domestic abuse, with evidence checklist and after-steps (NSW s 105B)
Pack for a tenant ending a NSW tenancy to avoid further domestic abuse: the s 105B notice, the three kinds of evidence accepted (conviction, protection order, competent person’s declaration), no compensation, co-tenant notice by the landlord, rent relief for remaining tenants and confidentiality.
AI use Red - Form
Residential tenancy application (QCAT Form 2): urgent and non-urgent disputes and the RTA notice of unresolved dispute
Link to QCAT's residential tenancy dispute page and Form 2, with a guide to which disputes are urgent, the requirement to go through RTA dispute resolution first for non-urgent disputes, and attaching the notice of unresolved dispute.
AI use Yellow - Letter
Tenant’s letter responding to a rent increase notice: validity, negotiation and excessive rent (NSW)
Letter from a NSW tenant or their lawyer to the landlord or agent about a rent increase: checks the 60-day notice and 12-month limits, asks for the increase to be withdrawn or reduced with market evidence, and reserves the right to apply for an excessive rent order within 30 days.
AI use Yellow - Checklist
Bond claim and condition report comparison checklist: claim items, evidence and fair wear and tear (NSW)
Checklist to build or test a NSW bond claim: compare the ingoing and outgoing condition reports room by room, separate damage from fair wear and tear, test each claim item against the permitted heads, cost evidence and timing, and the dispute route.
AI use Yellow - Form
Housing and rentals initiating application (SACAT online portal): what to prepare before applying
Link to SACAT's housing and rentals guidance and online portal, with a guide to the initiating application, the details and documents to prepare, what landlords and tenants can apply for, and the rule that the other party receives the application.
AI use Yellow
All precedents for Residential Tenancies. Signed-in accounts can read the full text.