NSW Tenant Information Statement: What Landlords Must Provide

What Is the Tenant Information Statement?

The Tenant Information Statement is a standardised booklet published by NSW Fair Trading that explains a tenant's rights and obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act 2010. It covers bond rules, repairs, rent increases, lease termination, and the minimum standards a rental property must meet.

NSW Fair Trading maintains the current version on its website. The statement is not a form you fill in — it is a pre-written document that you hand over as-is. You cannot edit it, substitute your own version, or skip sections.

When Must You Give It?

You must provide the Tenant Information Statement to the tenant before or at the time of signing the residential tenancy agreement. Not after the keys are handed over. Not during the first inspection. Before or at signing.

This applies to every new tenancy — whether it is a fixed-term lease, a periodic agreement, or a renewal with a new agreement. If you manage the property yourself without an agent, the obligation falls directly on you.

How to Provide It

Fair Trading publishes the statement as a downloadable PDF. You can print it and hand a copy to the tenant alongside the lease, or email the PDF. Either format satisfies the requirement, though keeping a record of delivery (a signed acknowledgement line in the lease, or a sent email with the attachment) protects you if compliance is ever questioned.

If you use a property manager, they should be handling this as part of their standard lease-signing workflow. Confirm with them that it has been done — the statutory duty sits with the landlord, not the agent, if something goes wrong.

What Happens If You Don't Provide It?

Failing to give the tenant the information statement before or at signing breaches the disclosure requirement in section 26 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010. Keep a record that you gave it; this handover requirement is separate from the condition-report evidence used in a bond or repair dispute.

Other Required Handover Items

The Tenant Information Statement is one of three core handover documents, alongside other required information:

1. Tenant Information Statement — before or at signing
2. Signed residential tenancy agreement — at signing, using the prescribed standard form
3. Condition report — two copies (or one electronic copy) before or at the time the agreement is given for signing; the tenant returns one within 7 days of taking possession

Before signing, also provide your direct contact details, an invitation to lodge the bond through Rental Bonds Online, and a copy of the strata by-laws if the property is in a strata scheme. At signing, provide the pool certificate of compliance or relevant occupation certificate if applicable.

If the property has a swimming pool or spa pool, provide a valid certificate of compliance or occupation certificate issued in the past 3 years when the agreement is signed. This requirement does not apply if the property is in a strata or community scheme with more than 2 lots.

For a full walkthrough of every pre-tenancy document, deadline, and disclosure obligation, the Rental Minimum Standards in New South Wales guide covers the entire handover process with a printable checklist.

Where to Download the Current Version

Go to the NSW Fair Trading website and search for "Tenant Information Statement." The PDF is free. Make sure you are downloading the current version — Fair Trading updates the statement when legislation changes, and handing over an outdated version does not satisfy the requirement.

Bookmark the page and check it before each new tenancy. The document is short, and the download takes seconds. There is no reason to skip it.

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