Notice to Leave Queensland: Landlord Requirements and Notice Periods

The Notice to Leave Is Form 12

For the ordinary landlord notice process in a general residential tenancy, use the prescribed Notice to Leave — RTA Form 12 (Version 27, effective 1 May 2025). A verbal demand or an informal letter is not a substitute for the prescribed notice. Some statutory grounds allow a landlord to apply to QCAT without first serving Form 12; the application and conciliation requirements depend on the ground.

Rooming accommodation uses a different form — Form R12 (Version 19). Using the wrong form for your tenancy type invalidates the notice entirely.

You Must Have a Lawful Ground

Queensland abolished without-grounds termination in October 2022. Every Form 12 must cite one of the statutory grounds in Chapter 5 of the RTRA Act. The notice must tick the specific box for that ground and include factual details explaining why it applies. Under section 349, QCAT may make a termination order despite a notice defect if that is appropriate in all the circumstances; an unsupported ground or insufficient notice may still prevent an order.

The statutory grounds include end of fixed term, unremedied breach (rent arrears or general), non-compliance with a QCAT order, sale contract requiring vacant possession, owner or family occupation, significant repair, demolition or redevelopment, change of use, and non-liveability.

Notice Periods

The minimum time between serving the notice and the handover date depends on the ground:

• 2 months: end of fixed term, sale contract, owner occupation, significant repair, demolition, change of use
• 14 days: unremedied general breach (after Form 11 remedy period expires)
• 7 days: unremedied rent arrears (after Form 11 remedy period expires), non-compliance with QCAT order
• Immediate (same day): non-liveability — but the notice must be issued within one month of the event

These are minimum periods. For day-based periods, exclude the day of service and count clear days under the Acts Interpretation Act 1954. Periods stated in months mean calendar months. The Form 12 handover date is the last day of the notice period, and the tenant must be allowed until midnight that day. If a period ends on a weekend or public holiday, it moves to the next business day.

Postal Delivery Days Stack on Top

If you serve the notice by post rather than in person, you must add postal transit days before the notice period starts counting. Standard Australia Post delivery schedules require allowing 2–6 business days depending on location and postage class. Serving a 2-month notice by post means the handover date must be two months plus the postal transit time from the deemed delivery date.

Electronic service is valid only for a method recorded in the tenancy agreement. Email is received when it enters the recipient's email server; SMS receipt time is determined under section 24 of the Electronic Transactions (Queensland) Act 2001.

What Happens When the Notice Expires

If the tenant vacates by the handover date, the tenancy ends. The landlord conducts an exit condition inspection and processes the bond claim.

If the tenant does not leave, the landlord has exactly 14 days from the handover date to file a Form 2 application at QCAT for a termination order. Missing this deadline means the Form 12 expires and a new notice must be served, restarting the entire timeline.

Entry Restrictions After Serving the Notice

Once a Form 12 is served, the landlord is capped at two entries per seven-day period — a restriction introduced on 1 May 2025. This applies even for open-home inspections during a sale process. Exceeding the cap is a statutory offence carrying penalties of up to 20 penalty units.

The Full Notice Process

The notice to leave is one step in a longer sequence that includes selecting the right ground, gathering evidence, calculating dates, serving correctly, and filing at QCAT if needed. The Ending a Tenancy in Queensland guide covers each step with the current notice period tables, clear-day calculation examples, and a service log template.

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