In Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, a landlord or agent may ask for no more than two documents of each kind: two to prove identity, two to show the rent can be paid, and in Queensland and South Australia two about suitability. In Victoria and South Australia a bank statement may be among them, but not with every transaction showing.
General informationAbout the document rules for rental applications, not legal advice about any application. The official pages are Consumer Affairs Victoria’s applying for a property, the Queensland RTA’s fact sheet for property managers and owners, SA.GOV.AU’s choosing a tenant and Equal Opportunity SA’s landlord responsibilities.
Two slots for each kind of document
- Victoria
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To show the rent can be paid, a rental provider or agent may ask for up to two of:
- payslips from current or recent work
- a bank statement without transaction details
- Centrelink payment statements or letters
For someone without a regular income, such as a person who is unemployed, self-employed, freelance or casual, the rental provider may instead ask about past employment or for other evidence they can pay, such as proof of savings or assets. To prove identity, they may ask for up to two documents from a list of twelve, which runs from a driver licence, Medicare card or passport to a utilities bill or a government letter sent to the current address.
- Queensland
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The Act limits requests to two documents at most in each of three categories:
- verifying who the applicant is
- verifying they can afford the rent
- bearing on whether they suit the tenancy
An applicant may offer more than two in a category, and the property manager or owner may accept them, so long as they did not ask for, encourage or solicit them.
- South Australia
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An applicant can’t be asked for more than two documents for identity, two for ability to pay, and two for suitability to enter the agreement. Financial and employment requests are limited to:
- a bank or financial statement with outgoing transactions and account numbers removed or redacted
- a payslip, or a document confirming employment
- a document directly about financial capacity
Equal Opportunity SA gives the shape of a fair request as two payslips, or one payslip and one bank statement; asking for something like ten payslips is not allowed. An applicant can still choose to hand over more if they think it helps.
- Western Australia
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Consumer Protection WA’s page on applications lets a landlord use an application form to decide between applicants and sets out no document limit; Consumer Protection WA is the place to ask about one.
The bank statement
All three states with a list name this document. In Victoria and South Australia the statement can be asked for once its private lines come out; Queensland rules out asking for bank transaction details at all.
- Victoria
A statement without transaction details is on the list of allowed documents. A statement showing daily transactions cannot be demanded; where a statement is needed, the applicant can delete any transactions they want kept private.
- Queensland
Statements of credit accounts and details of bank transactions are on the list of things a property manager or owner must not request.
- South Australia
A statement is allowed once outgoing transactions and the account number are redacted or removed; one that still shows them can’t be requested.
Showing an ID without leaving a copy
Queensland adds a rule about what happens to an identity document once it has been seen. An applicant may prove who they are either by giving a copy of the original document or by letting the property manager or owner look at the original in person. If it is seen in person, the property manager or owner may not keep a copy or write down its details unless the applicant agrees. How long the rest of an application may be kept is in the guide to keeping application information.
References
Victoria’s form lets a rental provider or agent ask for personal referees’ contact details: a name, phone number and email, and how the referee knows the applicant.
South Australia goes further. Equal Opportunity SA says a landlord may ask for up to two references, but cannot insist that they come from a previous landlord or employer, though an applicant may supply those if they think it helps. A landlord can’t ask specifically for a neighbour as a referee.
In Queensland, the Human Rights Commission accepts that references can be asked for, provided every applicant is asked and the request does not lead to unfair indirect discrimination. It gives the example of newly arrived migrants, young people and first-time renters, who may struggle to produce a rental reference but could offer a personal one instead.
One applicant, three sets of rules
Illustrative exampleAn invented applicant with a part-time job and a Centrelink payment, applying in three states. Not a real case and not advice about any application.
In Victoria, the agent may ask for two documents to show the rent can be paid, chosen from the three kinds Consumer Affairs Victoria lists: say, a recent payslip and a Centrelink payment statement. For identity, two more from the list, such as a driver licence and a Medicare card.
In Queensland, the same two-per-category ceiling applies to identity and to ability to pay, with a third category for suitability. If the applicant chooses to add a third payslip unasked, the property manager may accept it.
In South Australia, a bank statement offered as one of the two financial documents goes in with its outgoing transactions and account number blacked out.
In Queensland and South Australia the limits run in one direction: they cap what the landlord or agent may ask for, and neither stops an applicant from offering more of their own accord.