Landlord Entry and Inspections in QLD: A Guide

This article is general information, not legal advice. The facts below come from the Residential Tenancies Authority's guidance on entry to the property, so check current rules with the RTA before you act on any of it.

Getting entry and inspections wrong is one of the quickest ways a Queensland landlord ends up in a dispute with a tenant, or in front of QCAT. The rules aren't complicated, but they are specific, and tenants often know their rights here better than landlords know their obligations. This guide covers what the law requires and how to fold it into your everyday management.

The basic rule: you need a reason and written notice

As a Queensland lessor (or an agent acting for you), you can't just show up at a rented property whenever it suits you. You need a reason that's allowed under the tenancy law, plus written notice to the tenant before entering. There's no grey area: verbal notice, a text sent an hour beforehand, or assuming it's fine because you own the place, none of that meets the requirement.

How much notice you need depends on why you're entering:

• At least 24 hours' notice for repairs or an inspection related to a specific issue
• At least 7 days' notice for a routine inspection

Notice period aside, entry also has to happen at a reasonable time of day. Turning up at 7am or 9pm with valid notice still isn't appropriate. Reasonable hours matter just as much as how much notice you've given.

Routine inspections have a frequency limit too

Routine inspections, the general "walk through and check the condition of the property" visits, aren't just about notice. They're also capped in how often they can happen. In Queensland, a routine inspection can occur at most once every 3 months. You can't schedule them monthly because you're a nervous first-time landlord, and you can't dress up extra visits as "inspections" just to get a closer look more often. If you want to check on the property more frequently than that, it generally needs to be for a different, specific reason, like following up on a reported repair, rather than another routine inspection by another name.

What counts as a valid reason to enter

Entry has to be tied to an allowed reason under the tenancy law. In practice, that covers situations like:

• Carrying out or inspecting repairs
• Conducting a routine inspection (subject to the 7-day notice and 3-month frequency rule)
• Showing the property to prospective tenants, buyers or valuers in line with the relevant notice requirements
• Emergencies, where no notice is required at all

That last point matters: a genuine emergency (a burst pipe, a gas leak, a fire risk) overrides the usual notice rules entirely. But "emergency" means an actual urgent risk to safety or the property, not "I was driving past and wanted to check something."

Putting it into practice as a self-managing landlord

If you're managing your own rental rather than going through an agent, getting the entry and inspection rules right falls entirely on you. A few habits make this easier:

• Put entry notices in writing, email or a dated letter, not a phone call or a verbal heads-up at the letterbox.
• Calendar your routine inspections at intervals that respect the 3-month minimum gap, and build in the 7-day notice lead time so you're not scrambling at the last minute.
• Keep a simple log of every entry: the date notice was given, the reason, and the date you actually entered. If a dispute ever comes up, this is your evidence that you followed the process.
• Keep "repair follow-up" entries separate from "routine inspection" entries in your records, since they carry different notice periods and different frequency rules.
• Before any entry, check that the time of day is genuinely reasonable, not just technically within the notice period.

Tenants are entitled to quiet enjoyment of the property between these visits. Respecting that isn't just a box to tick. It keeps the relationship workable, cuts down on disputes, and makes tenants more likely to flag maintenance issues early instead of sitting on them.

FAQ

Can I enter without notice if I'm worried about the property's condition?

Worry on its own isn't an emergency. Unless there's a genuine urgent risk (fire, flooding, a serious safety hazard), you still need to give proper written notice and a valid reason before entering.

Does a routine inspection notice need to specify the exact time?

You need to give at least 7 days' notice and enter at a reasonable time. Being specific and giving the tenant a clear window helps avoid disputes, even though the law itself focuses on the notice period and the reasonableness of timing rather than an exact minute.

What if the tenant refuses entry after proper notice?

This is where things can escalate quickly, so it's worth confirming your options with the RTA or getting advice rather than forcing entry yourself. A clear paper trail of the notice you gave becomes essential if the matter needs to go further.

Can I do a routine inspection more often if I just had new tenants move in?

The 3-month minimum gap applies no matter how new the tenancy is. If you have specific concerns early on, think about whether they fall under a different valid reason for entry rather than squeezing in an extra routine inspection.

Keeping entry and inspections organised

Tracking notice periods, inspection dates and the three-month gap by hand in a spreadsheet is where a lot of self-managing landlords slip up. EZRENT's landlord tools help you log inspection dates, generate notices and keep a clear record tied to each lease, so the paper trail is already sorted if a tenant ever questions an entry. If you're setting up a new tenancy and want the whole process (lease, rent collection via direct Stripe charges, and inspection tracking) in one place, you can sign up and get started, or check pricing and plans to see what fits your portfolio.

This article is general information only and is not financial, legal or professional advice. Rules, thresholds and requirements vary by state or territory and change over time - always check the current rules with your local tenancy authority or a qualified professional before acting on anything above.