If you own a rental property in Hamilton, Ascot, or Portside Wharf — or anywhere across the greater Brisbane region — the 27 March 2026 Form 22 Queensland rental application updates are worth your attention. The rental application updates from the RTA cover both the Rental Application (Form 22) and the Rental Application — Rooming Accommodation (Form R22). These aren’t sweeping reforms. They’re the kind of refinements the RTA makes when enough feedback accumulates from property managers, landlords, and tenants that a few things genuinely need clarification.
And that’s exactly the point of this blog. I want to walk you through what’s changed, what it means for how we manage your property here at Premium Residential, and why these small adjustments actually matter more than they might first appear — especially if you own an apartment in a body corporate building like Pinnacle, Flare, Infinity, or Gallery House.
The Form 22 Queensland updates on 27 March 2026 won't make headlines. But the landlords who pay attention to the small shifts are the ones whose investments stay genuinely protected.
Why Form 22 Queensland Exists — and What Changed on 27 March 2026
Quick bit of background. From 1 May 2025, every property manager and owner in Queensland has had to use the same standardised rental application form. No more agency-by-agency variations. That came in as part of the broader Queensland rental laws reform package — the one introduced under the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024.
For us as property managers, this mattered because it removed ambiguity. Landlords weren’t being asked to second-guess whether an agency’s custom form captured the right information. Tenants weren’t filling out wildly different applications for different properties. And importantly, the standardised form clearly defines what can and cannot be requested — protecting both sides of the tenancy. Form 22 is the version used for general tenancies and moveable dwellings. Form R22 is used for rooming accommodation. If you own a standard rental apartment or house anywhere in Queensland, Form 22 is the one relevant to your property.
Three clarifications, really. None of them are headline-grabbing on their own — but put together, they close off some annoying little gaps that had been creating friction during the application process.
Change 1: Applicant consent is now explicit
When an applicant signs the updated rental application form, they are now clearly consenting to the people they’ve nominated — employers, previous property managers, personal referees — being contacted. This was always the practical intent, but the previous wording left a slight gap that occasionally tripped up referees who weren’t sure whether they had permission to answer questions. The updated form removes that doubt.
Change 2: Form 22 Queensland now has a dedicated field for body corporate pet rules
This is the one that genuinely matters for Portside Wharf, Ascot, Hamilton, and other Brisbane apartment owners in body corporate buildings. If your building’s body corporate has specific rules about pets — whether that’s size limits, breed restrictions, or outright prohibitions — there is now a designated section on the form to record them. Previously, these rules were often communicated informally during the application process, leading to inconsistencies. Now it’s built into the paperwork, which means applicants can see upfront what the body corporate allows, and landlords have a clear record that the rules were disclosed.
Change 3: Former living arrangements for applicants without rental history
This is a small but important equity fix. Before this update, the form was weighted towards applicants with a clear rental history. First-home renters, people returning from overseas, adult children moving out of the family home, and anyone transitioning from home ownership all faced an awkward gap when completing the form. The update acknowledges that not every good tenant has a long rental CV — and gives them a legitimate way to evidence their suitability.
What the Form 22 Queensland Update Means for Your Rental Property
Honestly, not much in terms of day-to-day management — if you’re with a property manager who keeps current with RTA changes. Here at Premium Residential, we’ve already transitioned to the updated forms. Every new application coming through for our managed properties uses the 27 March 2026 version.
But there are three things worth thinking about. If you own an apartment in a building with pet restrictions, this is your prompt to make sure we have the current body corporate by-laws on file. Pet rules change. Bodies corporate pass new motions. What was allowed in 2023 may no longer be allowed, and vice versa. If you haven’t shared your current bylaws with your property manager in the last twelve months, now is a sensible moment to do that. We’ll use the new field on Form 22 to record those rules consistently on every application.
If your property is self-managed and you’re using an older version of the form, you need to update it. Non-compliance attracts a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units under the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008. The RTA makes the current forms available for free on their website. There’s no reason to be caught on an old version.
If you’ve been hesitant about prospective tenants with non-traditional rental histories, the updated form provides stronger evidence to support your decision. Some of the best long-term tenants I’ve placed in Ascot and Hamilton over the years have been people without a conventional rental history — a first-time renter leaving their parents’ home, a returning expat, a recently separated homeowner entering the rental market. Now they’ve got a proper way to show what they’ve been doing — and that gives landlords something concrete to weigh up rather than a blank space on a form.
The broader picture: Queensland rental laws in 2026
The form changes are a small piece of a bigger picture, and it’s worth zooming out for a moment. Queensland rental laws have tightened considerably since the reforms began rolling out in 2024, and the full framework of obligations now looks meaningfully different from what it did two years ago. A quick recap of the parts that matter most:
Under Queensland rental laws, rent increases are now capped to once every 12 months — and importantly, that cap follows the property, not the tenancy. If you increase the rent in February and your tenant gives notice in April, you cannot increase it again for the incoming tenant until February the following year. Interstate landlords who own Brisbane property but live in Sydney or Melbourne are often caught off guard by this one.
Rent bidding is banned. Properties must be advertised at a fixed price, and you cannot accept offers above that price.
One of the most significant Queensland rental laws changes: Minimum Housing Standards have applied to all tenancies since 1 September 2024. Every rental property in Queensland must meet these standards at the point of advertising and throughout the tenancy — not just when the tenant moves in. We’ve covered what Minimum Housing Standards mean for Brisbane landlords in detail elsewhere on our site if you want to dig into the specifics.
Entry notice periods are now a minimum of 48 hours for most entries, except for general inspections, safety checks, and emergencies. And there is a formal process for tenant-requested fixtures or structural changes, with a 28-day response window for landlords and body corporate approvals where relevant.
A quiet but real compliance story
The 27 March form updates won’t make headlines. They’ll be absorbed into property managers’ daily work across Queensland without much fanfare. But the landlords who pay attention to these small shifts — and who work with property managers who do the same — are the ones whose investments stay genuinely protected over the long term.
At Premium Residential, this is the work that sits underneath the visible part of property management. The weekly rent is arriving. The inspection reports and maintenance logs. The lease renewals. Underneath all of that is a quiet discipline of staying current with every regulatory update, every form revision, every clarification the RTA issues. It’s not glamorous, but it’s exactly the work that prevents the five per cent of tenancies that go sideways from becoming ten per cent.
Talk to Premium Residential About Your Property
If you own property in Hamilton, Ascot, Portside Wharf, or anywhere across the greater Brisbane region and you’d like to talk through how these Queensland rental laws updates affect your specific property — particularly if you’re in a body corporate building where pet rules are a live issue — I’m genuinely happy to have that conversation. You’re also welcome to learn more about our property management approach or meet the wider Premium Residential team.
The rental landscape in Queensland is maturing. The frameworks are becoming more structured, landlords’ expectations are rising, and tenants applying for our premium rental stock increasingly expect a professional, compliant, and respectful process. The 27 March updates are a small piece of that bigger picture.
But they matter.
About Summer Finlay & Premium Residential
Summer Finlay is Principal & Director of Property Management at Premium Residential.
Premium Residential is a family-owned property management business led by second-generation Principal Summer Finlay. Established in 2011, Premium Residential specialises in premium rental properties within postcode 4007 (Ascot, Hamilton, Portside Wharf) and surrounding premium Brisbane suburbs.
Premium Residential has a genuine local connection: three generations of the Finlay family live, work, and invest in the same communities they serve. This hyper-local expertise means building-specific knowledge across premium developments — from Portside Wharf’s Flare and Infinity apartments to Hamilton’s riverside residences and Ascot’s prestigious streets.
Summer Finlay’s philosophy centres on stewarding your legacy — delivering radical transparency, personalised service, and property management excellence that protect and grow your investment. With a 94% property leasing rate within seven days, Premium Residential has established itself as THE authority for discerning property owners and tenants in Brisbane’s premium rental market.
Contact Summer Finlay
Contact Summer to book a free rental appraisal → or learn more about Premium Residential property management services.
📱 0448 059 304
✉️ [email protected]
🌐 www.premiumresidential.com.au
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This content is general market information only and does not constitute financial advice. Property investment involves risk. For advice specific to your circumstances, please consult a licensed financial adviser.
