Rental Applications Queensland: Gold Coast Landlord Compliance Guide

Queensland landlords and property managers must use a compliant standardised rental application form, give applicants at least two submission methods, limit the information and supporting documents they request, and securely manage every applicant’s personal information. For most Gold Coast houses, units and townhouses, the relevant form is Rental application (Form 22). These requirements have applied since 1 May 2025.

The safest process is to use the current Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) Form 22, document the submission options offered, assess every applicant against consistent tenancy-related criteria, and set automatic privacy deletion dates.

This article provides general information, not legal or privacy advice. Check the current RTA form, legislation and professional advice for your circumstances.

Queensland rental application rules at a glance

• Use a compliant form: Form 22 applies to general tenancies and moveable dwelling agreements. Rooming accommodation uses Form R22.
• Offer two submission methods: at least one must not be a restricted method.
• Request only permitted information: do not add questions that fall outside the standardised application requirements.
• Limit supporting documents: request no more than two documents from each permitted category.
• Handle identity documents carefully: an original may be sighted, but keeping a copy requires the applicant’s consent.
• Use information only for the proper purpose: application information is for assessing suitability as a tenant and managing the tenancy.
• Secure and delete records: unsuccessful applicants’ personal information must be securely destroyed after three months; information for a successful tenancy must be destroyed within seven years after the tenancy ends.
• Avoid discriminatory screening: decisions should be based on lawful, relevant and consistently applied criteria.

The RTA’s current rental application process guidance explains these obligations. As at September 2026, the RTA’s published Form 22 is version 4, dated March 2026. Always download the current form rather than reusing an old saved copy.

Which rental application form should a Gold Coast landlord use?

Use Form 22 for a proposed general tenancy, including the usual residential lease of a Gold Coast house, unit or townhouse. Form 22 also applies to moveable dwelling agreements. Rooming accommodation uses the separate Form R22.

An agency may use its own branded or digital version, but it must comply with the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 and the applicable regulation. A logo, CRM workflow or third-party platform does not remove that obligation.

If several adults apply together, each applicant can complete a separate application form. This lets the manager collect the permitted information and supporting evidence for each proposed tenant without combining unrelated personal records.

Applicants need at least two ways to apply

A property manager or owner must provide at least two different submission methods, and at least one method must not be restrictive. A method can be restrictive where the applicant must give personal information through a third-party online platform that is not the owner, property manager or real estate agent, or where the method makes the applicant pay an application or background-check fee.

A practical compliant setup could offer:

1. a nominated online application platform; and
2. direct submission to the property manager by email or another direct online method.

Do not advertise “online applications only” unless the offered process still satisfies the two-method and non-restrictive requirements. Record the options shown in the listing and on the application form so the agency can demonstrate its process later.

What information can a landlord request?

The application should stay within the fields permitted by the standardised form and regulation. These include:

• the applicant’s name, date of birth and contact details;
• previous tenancy or rooming accommodation details;
• current employment and income details;
• referees and the proposed tenancy term;
• the number of occupants, including occupants under 18;
• the number and type of vehicles to be kept at the property;
• financial ability to pay rent; and
• the number and type of pets proposed, where approval is sought.

Questions should be tied to the applicant’s ability to meet tenancy obligations and the suitability of the household for the specific property. A “nice to know” question is not enough reason to collect more personal information.

What information must not be requested?

The RTA says a property manager or owner cannot ask an applicant to provide:

• details or evidence of legal action the applicant has taken, including tenancy disputes or tribunal matters;
• Notices to remedy breach that the applicant has issued or received;
• rental bond history, including previous bond claims;
• credit account statements; or
• bank account statements showing transaction details.

If a bank statement is requested as evidence of ability to pay rent, the applicant must be told that transaction details do not need to appear. A balance or other permitted financial evidence may be enough. Applicants may voluntarily offer extra documents, but the manager must not request, encourage or solicit material beyond the permitted limits.

How many supporting documents can be requested?

A manager or owner can request up to two documents from each of three categories:

1. identity: documents used to verify who the applicant is;
2. financial ability: evidence relevant to the ability to pay rent; and
3. suitability: documents relevant to meeting tenancy obligations for the property.

This is a ceiling, not a target. Request only what is reasonably needed for the assessment. A self-employed, casual or Centrelink-supported applicant may have different suitable evidence from a salaried applicant, so the process should allow equivalent forms of proof rather than demanding one rigid document set.

Identity checks and consent

An applicant may verify identity by providing a copy of an original document or by allowing the manager to sight the original. When an original is sighted, the manager may record information reasonably necessary for the assessment, such as the document type and number.

Keeping a copy of an original identity document that was merely presented requires the applicant’s consent. If the applicant supplies a copy as their chosen method of verification, the RTA guidance treats that differently from the manager copying a document that was only presented for sighting.

Operationally, the agency should record whether a document was supplied, sighted, or copied with consent. Access should be restricted to staff who need it for the assessment.

How should applications be assessed?

Use a written assessment matrix that is relevant to the property and applied consistently. Suitable factors may include verified ability to pay the advertised rent, previous tenancy references, the proposed number of occupants, the requested term, pets and vehicles, and whether the application is complete.

Avoid assumptions based on a person’s name, age, family structure, disability, race, sex, relationship status or another protected attribute. The RTA directs applicants with discrimination concerns to the Queensland Human Rights Commission.

The RTA states that a manager or owner is not required to tell an unsuccessful applicant why they were declined. Even so, a dated internal assessment record can show that the same lawful criteria were used across the shortlist.

Tenancy database checks

If an agency usually uses a tenancy database, the applicant must be told which database is used, that it is used to check tenancy history, and how to contact the database operator and obtain information from it.

If a database check shows the applicant is listed, further statutory notice and correction rights may apply. A database result should be verified and handled under the current Queensland tenancy database rules rather than treated as an automatic rejection.

Privacy, storage and deletion deadlines

Rental applications often contain identity, employment, income and household information. The RTA’s personal information guidance says the information must be stored securely, accessed only by relevant people and used only for assessing the application or managing the tenancy unless valid consent supports another use.

For tenancies commencing on or after 1 May 2025, the RTA specifies these destruction deadlines:

• unsuccessful applicant: securely destroy the applicant’s personal information after three months; and
• successful applicant: securely destroy personal information within seven years after the tenancy ends.

Separate record-keeping rules require a tenancy agreement, entry condition report and rent records to be kept for at least one year after the agreement ends. Other state and Commonwealth privacy obligations may also apply.

A Gold Coast landlord using an agent should ask how the agency controls CRM permissions, third-party platform access, exports, email attachments, backups and deletion schedules. BWPG outlines its wider leasing and tenancy management service on the Gold Coast property management page.

A practical rental application compliance checklist

1. Download the current Form 22 and retire old templates.
2. Check that every advertised property offers two submission methods.
3. Confirm at least one method is non-restrictive and does not charge the applicant.
4. Remove custom questions that are not permitted.
5. Cap requested evidence at two documents in each permitted category.
6. Tell applicants that bank transaction details can be removed.
7. Record consent before retaining a copy of an identity document presented for sighting.
8. Disclose tenancy databases used by the agency.
9. Score applications against consistent, tenancy-related criteria.
10. Restrict staff and supplier access to applicant data.
11. Schedule destruction after three months for unsuccessful applications.
12. Maintain a defensible audit trail without collecting unnecessary information.

Common mistakes for self-managed landlords

• Reusing a pre-May 2025 application form
• Offering only a third-party portal
• Charging or allowing a platform to charge an application fee
• Requesting unredacted bank transaction histories
• Asking for more than two documents in a permitted category
• Keeping passport or driver licence copies without the required consent
• Saving every unsuccessful application indefinitely
• Assessing applicants informally without consistent criteria or records

Application compliance is only one part of the tenancy lifecycle. Landlords should also maintain the property to Queensland standards; see BWPG’s minimum housing standards checklist. For help reviewing the full leasing process, contact BWPG.

Frequently asked questions

Is Form 22 mandatory in Queensland?

A property manager or owner must use a standardised, compliant rental application form for general tenancies and moveable dwelling agreements. Using the current RTA Form 22 is the clearest option. A custom version is permissible only if it complies with the Act and regulation.

Can a Gold Coast agent require applicants to use one online platform?

Not if that is the only method. Applicants must be offered at least two different submission methods, and at least one must not be restrictive. Direct submission to the property manager by email or a direct online method can be non-restrictive.

Can a landlord ask for an applicant’s bank statements?

A permitted financial document may be requested to assess ability to pay rent, but the applicant must be told that bank transaction details do not need to appear. Statements detailing credit or bank account transactions cannot be requested.

How long can an unsuccessful rental application be kept?

For the rules applying to tenancies commencing on or after 1 May 2025, personal information for an unsuccessful applicant must be securely destroyed after three months.

Can an agent keep a copy of a driver licence or passport?

An applicant can provide a copy or present the original for sighting. If the original is presented, the manager must obtain consent before keeping a copy. Any retained identity information must be securely stored and used for the permitted purpose.

Does a landlord have to explain why an application was unsuccessful?

The RTA says a property manager or owner is not required to provide reasons. The assessment should still use lawful, relevant and consistently applied criteria, with an internal record sufficient to demonstrate the process.

Sources

• Residential Tenancies Authority — Application process
• Residential Tenancies Authority — Rental application (Form 22)
• Residential Tenancies Authority — Personal information
• Queensland legislation — Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008
• Queensland Human Rights Commission — Discrimination in accommodation