No-Grounds Eviction in Australia: Where It's Banned and Where It Still Applies

No-grounds eviction, ending a tenancy without stating a reason, has been abolished in six of Australia's eight states and territories since 2021. Western Australia and the Northern Territory still allow it, each on 60 days' written notice.

Jurisdiction scope: This page compares residential (private) tenancy law across all eight Australian states and territories on a single question: whether a landlord can end a tenancy without giving a reason. It is general legal information, verified 19 July 2026, not legal advice on your own tenancy. For the detail of eviction grounds and their notice periods, see eviction and notice periods in Australia.

What Is No-Grounds Eviction?

No-grounds eviction (also called no-fault or no-reason eviction) is a notice ending a tenancy where the landlord does not have to state, or prove, any reason. Historically this was the standard route by which a landlord in most Australian jurisdictions ended a periodic tenancy, or chose not to renew a fixed-term one, simply by giving the required notice period. A tenant receiving a no-grounds notice had no ground to dispute on its merits, only whether the correct notice and form had been used. Since 2021, six of the eight state and territory Residential Tenancies Acts have removed this option in some or all of its forms, replacing it with a requirement that the landlord state and, if challenged, prove one of a specific list of grounds. Two jurisdictions, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, have not made this change.

Where No-Grounds Eviction Has Been Abolished

Six jurisdictions no longer allow a landlord to end a residential tenancy without stating a ground. The order and mechanism of abolition differ by jurisdiction.

The ACT was first: section 47 was substituted so a landlord must rely on a ground listed in Schedule 1 clause 96, including the landlord or a relative moving in (8 weeks' notice), sale (8 weeks), reconstruction (12 weeks) or non-residential use (26 weeks), each requiring written evidence. A fixed-term tenancy not validly ended on one of these grounds continues as periodic under Schedule 1 clause 5.

South Australia abolished no-grounds eviction on 1 July 2024, reworking section 83 into "Termination by landlord on ground prescribed," with grounds set out in the regulations and expanded again on 1 September 2025.

New South Wales followed on 19 May 2025. Section 84 was substituted, with grounds now at sections 87C to 87N, and section 96 (end of fixed term) moved to sit only under the tenant's own right to end a tenancy. A landlord can no longer point to the mere expiry of a fixed term as a reason to end it.

Victoria is the only jurisdiction to have closed both routes. The no-reason ending of a periodic tenancy went on 29 March 2021; sections 91ZZD and 91ZZDA, which had allowed a no-fault ending of a fixed term, were repealed from 25 November 2025. A fixed-term tenancy reaching its end date without a valid ground now rolls into a periodic tenancy under section 91Q.

Queensland no longer has a lessor no-grounds ground anywhere in Chapter 5 Part 1 Division 2 of the Act. A tenant keeps a no-grounds option under section 308. End of a fixed term is its own listed ground under section 291, 2 months' notice, subject to anti-retaliation limits. The exact commencement date is still being confirmed against the primary legislative history; what is settled is that the ground no longer exists.

Tasmania: Grounds-Based, With a Fixed-Term Nuance

Tasmania does not fit neatly into either column. Every notice a Tasmanian landlord gives must cite a paragraph of section 42(1) of the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 (Tas), so there is no bare, unexplained no-reason notice available at all. For a periodic tenancy, the available grounds under section 42(1) are limited to sale or transfer of the property, a change to non-residential use, significant renovations, or a member of the owner's family moving in; there is no catch-all no-reason ground. For a fixed-term tenancy, however, section 42(1)(d) allows the owner to give a notice to vacate simply because the agreement is due to expire within 60 days. That ground requires no further justification beyond the approaching expiry date, which makes it function, in practice, like a no-reason ending for fixed terms even though it is formally a listed ground rather than an open discretion. Anyone assessing Tasmania against the other seven jurisdictions should keep that distinction in mind: periodic tenancies are grounds-based with no no-reason option, fixed terms have a ground that does not require substantive justification.

Where No-Grounds Eviction Still Exists: Western Australia

Western Australia has not abolished no-grounds eviction. Under section 64 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1987 (WA), a landlord may end a periodic tenancy without specifying any ground, on not less than 60 days' notice (raised from 30 days in 2024). A tenant who receives such a notice may apply to the Magistrates Court within 7 days for an order extending the period by up to a further 60 days. Section 64 does not apply during a fixed term; a fixed-term agreement is instead ended under section 70A, which lets either party end it on 30 days' notice, again without a reason and without an automatic rollover. WA's announced Phase 2 reform, discussed below, is not yet a Bill and is not law.

Where No-Grounds Eviction Still Exists: The Northern Territory

The Northern Territory also retains no-grounds eviction. Section 89 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1999 (NT) lets a landlord terminate a periodic tenancy without specifying a ground, by 60 days' notice given in accordance with section 101 (which governs the notice's form, not the substantive power). For a fixed-term tenancy, section 90 gives 60 days' notice before the term expires, again without a reason. The 60-day period applies from 2 January 2024; a shorter period applied before that. A tenant has a matching option: section 94 lets a tenant end a periodic tenancy without a reason on 14 days' notice. There is no separate sale or owner-occupation ground in the NT Act; a landlord wanting the property back for either reason uses the same no-grounds route.

Is a No-Grounds Reform Coming to Western Australia or Tasmania?

Not yet, in either case. Western Australia announced a Phase 2 package of reforms on 4 May 2026 covering no-grounds eviction and minimum standards, but no Bill had been introduced to the WA Parliament as of this page's verification date, so sections 64 and 70A still operate as described above. Tasmania separately opened a "modernising the Residential Tenancy Act" consultation in April 2026, which remains at the policy stage with no Bill introduced. Readers in either jurisdiction should rely on the current law on this page, not on either announcement, until a Bill actually passes and commences.

What This Means If You've Received a No-Grounds Notice

If you are a tenant in the ACT, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria or Queensland and you receive a notice that does not state a ground, you can generally raise that with the relevant tribunal, whether ACAT, SACAT, NCAT, VCAT or QCAT, before agreeing to leave. If you are in Western Australia or the Northern Territory, a no-grounds notice that gives the correct 60-day period is currently valid on its face; check whether the period was correctly calculated and, in Western Australia, whether you are within the 7-day window to ask the Magistrates Court for extra time. In Tasmania, check which paragraph of section 42(1) the notice cites and whether it fits a periodic or a fixed-term agreement, since the available grounds differ. None of this substitutes for reading your own notice against the current Act, or for advice from your state or territory's tenancy authority.

This page provides general legal information about no-grounds eviction rules across Australia, verified 19 July 2026. It is not legal advice, and it does not tell you whether a specific notice you have received is valid. For advice about your own tenancy, consult a legal practitioner admitted in the relevant Australian state or territory, or your state or territory's tenancy authority.

For the fuller picture of landlord grounds and notice periods where no-grounds eviction has been abolished, see eviction and notice periods in Australia. For how each jurisdiction's forum decides an eviction dispute, and for bonds, rent increases and minimum standards, see the Australia tenant rights hub, or go directly to your jurisdiction: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT or the Northern Territory.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Australian states and territories still allow no-grounds eviction?

Only Western Australia and the Northern Territory still allow a landlord to end a residential tenancy without stating a reason, each requiring 60 days' written notice. The ACT, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland have all abolished it, and Tasmania has abolished it for periodic tenancies while keeping a fixed-term expiry ground that needs no further justification.

Which jurisdiction abolished no-grounds eviction first?

The ACT, effective 1 April 2023, when section 47 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (ACT) was substituted with a grounds-based regime under Schedule 1 clause 96.

Can a Western Australian landlord still evict a tenant without a reason?

Yes, for a periodic tenancy. Section 64 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1987 (WA) allows a no-grounds notice of at least 60 days. The tenant can apply to the Magistrates Court within 7 days of the notice for up to 60 more days.

Can a Northern Territory landlord still evict a tenant without a reason?

Yes. Section 89 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1999 (NT) allows a no-grounds notice of 60 days for a periodic tenancy, and section 90 allows 60 days' notice before a fixed term expires.

Is Tasmania a no-grounds or grounds-based jurisdiction?

Both, depending on the tenancy type. Every Tasmanian landlord notice must cite a paragraph of section 42(1) of the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 (Tas). A periodic tenancy has no bare no-reason ground, but a fixed-term agreement can be ended simply because it is due to expire within 60 days, under section 42(1)(d), which needs no further justification.

Has Queensland abolished no-grounds eviction?

Yes. There is no longer a lessor's no-grounds ground in Chapter 5 Part 1 Division 2 of the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (Qld). The precise date this changed is still being confirmed, so this page describes the current position rather than a specific commencement date.

Is Western Australia about to abolish no-grounds eviction?

Not yet. A Phase 2 reform package covering no-grounds eviction was announced on 4 May 2026, but as of this page's verification date no Bill has been introduced to the WA Parliament. The current law, described above, still applies.

Does a fixed-term tenancy automatically end when the term expires, in a jurisdiction that has abolished no-grounds eviction?

Generally no. In Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT, a fixed-term tenancy that is not validly ended on a specific ground continues as a periodic tenancy rather than simply expiring. Check the relevant Act's rollover provision, since the mechanism differs by jurisdiction.