New South Wales Tenant Rights: Eviction, Bonds and Rent Rules

New South Wales abolished no-grounds eviction on 19 May 2025. A landlord must now rely on a specific ground under the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW) and, if disputed, prove it before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Information last verified on 19 July 2026. This page presents general legal information, not legal advice.

Jurisdiction scope: This page covers residential tenancies in New South Wales only, under the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW), verified 19 July 2026. It does not cover other Australian states or territories, which run different eviction, bond and rent rules; see the linked state pages below. This is general legal information, not advice on your own tenancy.

Governing law and the NCAT process

Residential tenancies in New South Wales are governed primarily by the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW). It sets out the rights and duties of landlords and tenants for most residential leases, from bond handling to termination. Disputes about a tenancy, including a landlord’s application to end one, go to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), not the local court. NCAT hears both the landlord’s termination application and any tenant response, and only NCAT can make a termination order that leads to a possession order enforced by the Sheriff. A notice from a landlord does not, on its own, end a tenancy or require a tenant to leave; it is the trigger for a possible NCAT application if the tenant does not agree to go. NSW Fair Trading administers bond handling and publishes current guidance for both parties.

Can a landlord evict a tenant without a reason in New South Wales?

No. New South Wales abolished no-grounds eviction on 19 May 2025. Before that date, a landlord could end a periodic tenancy, or decline to renew a fixed term, without stating any reason. Section 84 of the Act was substituted so that a landlord now needs one of the specific termination grounds set out in sections 87C to 87N. A further change moved section 96, the provision dealing with the end of a fixed-term agreement, so it now sits only under a tenant’s own right to end the tenancy. In practice, the simple expiry of a lease no longer gives a landlord, by itself, a basis to require a tenant to leave; the landlord must point to one of the listed grounds instead, and prove it at NCAT if the tenant disputes it.

Landlord grounds and notice periods

The grounds a landlord can rely on since the 2025 reform include the landlord or a family member moving in, sale of the property with vacant possession, and significant renovation, demolition or repair, alongside longstanding grounds such as rent arrears and breach of the agreement. Each ground carries its own notice period, and some carry their own evidentiary requirements. Because the applicable period depends on which ground is cited, a tenant who receives a termination notice should check the specific ground stated on it and confirm the notice period that applies with NCAT or NSW Fair Trading, rather than assume a single standard period applies across every ground.

Bonds: amount, lodgement and no portable option

A landlord in New South Wales cannot charge more than four weeks’ rent as bond, and unlike some other states there is no higher cap for expensive properties. The bond must be lodged with the Secretary, in practice through Rental Bonds Online, within 10 business days of receipt under sections 159 and 162 of the Act. New South Wales has no portable bond scheme; the Act contains no mechanism letting a bond transfer automatically between tenancies, unlike Victoria’s scheme discussed below. A tenant moving between NSW rentals currently pays a fresh bond on the new tenancy while the previous one is processed for refund.

Rent increases and rent bidding

Rent can be increased only once every 12 months under section 41(1A), and not within the first 12 months of a new tenancy, on at least 60 days’ written notice. A tenant who believes an increase is excessive can apply to NCAT to have it reviewed. Separately, soliciting an offer of rent above the advertised price has been banned since 3 August 2023 under section 22A of the Act, part of a nationwide move against rent bidding covered in the comparison below.

Minimum standards

Section 52(1A) and (1B) of the Act set the minimum standards a rental property must meet in New South Wales: the premises must be structurally sound, weatherproof and free of significant damp, with adequate natural or artificial light and ventilation, working plumbing and drainage, a kitchen with cooking facilities, bathroom facilities that give the tenant privacy, hot and cold running water, and functioning locks. These are baseline requirements a landlord must meet at the start of, and throughout, a tenancy, separate from any repair obligations that arise during the lease.

Key figures at a glance

How New South Wales compares to the rest of Australia

New South Wales was one of the later states to abolish no-grounds eviction, following the Australian Capital Territory (1 April 2023) and South Australia (1 July 2024), and preceding Victoria’s abolition for fixed terms (25 November 2025). It shares that position with most of the country; Western Australia and the Northern Territory are the two jurisdictions that still allow a landlord to end a tenancy without a reason, on 60 days’ notice in each case. See the no-grounds eviction ban across Australia for the full jurisdiction map, and rental bonds in Australia for how NSW’s flat four-week cap compares with other states. For the two retained no-grounds jurisdictions, see Western Australia tenant rights and Northern Territory tenant rights; for Victoria’s live portable bond scheme, see Victoria tenant rights. For the complete national picture, see the Australia tenant rights hub.

This page is general legal information about residential tenancies in New South Wales, verified on 19 July 2026. It is not legal advice, and it does not cover every situation. For advice about your own tenancy, consult a legal practitioner admitted in the relevant Australian state or territory, or contact the Tenants’ Union of NSW.