No-cause eviction — the ability of a landlord to end your tenancy without giving a reason — is one of the most significant tenant rights issues in Australia. When it’s permitted, renters live with permanent insecurity. You can pay your rent on time, look after the property, be a model tenant, and still get told to leave because the landlord feels like it.

The good news is that reform is happening. Several states have moved to restrict or abolish no-grounds evictions. The bad news is that the reforms are inconsistent, sometimes incomplete, and the implementation details matter as much as the headline legislation.

Here’s where things stand in each state and territory as of early 2026.

Victoria

Victoria led the way on no-cause eviction reform with changes effective from 2024. Landlords must now provide a reason for ending a tenancy, drawn from a prescribed list of grounds. These include the landlord moving in, selling the property, demolishing or renovating, and the tenant breaching the agreement.

The prescribed grounds list is reasonable in principle, but some advocates argue it’s too easy for landlords to invoke “renovation” as a pretext. There’s no requirement for the renovations to be substantial — a cosmetic refresh could technically qualify. Monitoring how this ground is used in practice, and whether it becomes a loophole, will be important.

Notice periods for end-of-tenancy under the prescribed grounds vary: 60 days for most grounds, 90 days for demolition or change of use. These are improvements over the previous 120-day no-cause notice, which sounds generous but meant tenants had four months of uncertainty while searching for replacement housing in a tight rental market.

Queensland

Queensland enacted reforms in 2023 that eliminated no-grounds evictions and introduced prescribed reasons, similar to Victoria’s approach. The Residential Tenancies Authority administers the system.

Queensland’s list of approved grounds includes some provisions that tenant advocates view as potential workarounds. The “significant repair or renovation” ground has a relatively low threshold for what counts as significant. And the “change of use” ground (converting a property to a different purpose) is difficult for tenants to challenge because they often can’t verify whether the landlord actually follows through.

One positive feature: Queensland requires landlords to demonstrate they’ve actually used the property for the stated purpose within a reasonable timeframe. If a landlord evicts a tenant claiming they’ll move in and then immediately re-lists the property for rent, the tenant can seek compensation. Whether tenants actually pursue these claims is another matter — the effort involved discourages many.

New South Wales

NSW introduced reforms effective mid-2025 that significantly restricted no-grounds evictions. The new framework requires landlords to provide a prescribed reason and a minimum 90-day notice period for most grounds. The legislation passed after years of advocacy and political negotiation, and the final version was a compromise.

The NSW reforms include a notable provision: a cooling-off protection during the first six months of a tenancy. Landlords can’t issue an end-of-tenancy notice within the first six months unless the tenant has breached the agreement. This addresses the previous practice of some landlords granting short leases and then issuing no-cause notices to remove tenants they decided they didn’t want.

Implementation data is still limited given how recent the changes are. The Tenants’ Union of NSW is tracking outcomes and expects to publish analysis later this year.

South Australia

South Australia reformed its Residential Tenancies Act in 2024 with provisions restricting no-grounds evictions for periodic tenancies. Fixed-term tenancies were already protected (they end when the term ends), but periodic tenants previously had minimal security.

The SA reforms require landlords to provide reasons for ending a periodic tenancy, with grounds similar to other states. Notice periods are 60-90 days depending on the ground.

A distinctive feature of the SA system is the inclusion of “tenant conduct” grounds that fall short of lease breach. A landlord can end a tenancy if the tenant’s behaviour “seriously interferes” with other residents’ peaceful enjoyment of neighbouring properties. This ground exists in other states but is defined more broadly in SA legislation, which creates concern about potential misuse — particularly against tenants who are elderly, have disabilities, or have children, whose normal living activities might be characterised as interference.

Western Australia

WA has been slower to reform than the eastern states. As of early 2026, no-grounds eviction remains possible for periodic tenancies with 60 days’ notice. Fixed-term tenancies have some protections (they can’t be ended without cause during the term), but the lack of rolling protection after the fixed term means tenants who transition to periodic arrangements lose security.

Reform legislation has been proposed and debated but hasn’t passed at the time of writing. Tenant advocacy groups in WA continue to push for alignment with eastern state protections. The delay is partly political — WA’s property investor lobby has been vocal in opposing reform — and partly about the unique characteristics of WA’s rental market, which experienced extreme tightness in 2022-2023 but has moderated somewhat since.

Tasmania, ACT, and Northern Territory

Tasmania enacted limited reforms in 2024 restricting no-grounds evictions to situations where the landlord provides a reason. The list of grounds is narrower than Victoria’s, which is positive for tenants, but the notice periods are shorter (42 days for some grounds), which gives tenants less time to find alternative housing.

The ACT has had relatively strong tenant protections for years, including restrictions on no-grounds evictions that predate most other jurisdictions’ reforms. The ACT system requires landlords to apply to ACAT (the territory’s civil tribunal) for eviction in most circumstances, which adds a layer of scrutiny that other states lack.

The Northern Territory has the weakest tenant protections among Australian jurisdictions. No-grounds eviction remains possible, and the reform momentum visible elsewhere hasn’t translated to NT legislation. This disproportionately affects Indigenous renters and renters in remote communities, who face the double burden of weak legal protections and limited housing alternatives.

What This Means Practically

Even in states that have reformed, landlords retain the ability to end tenancies for legitimate reasons. The reforms don’t guarantee permanent tenancy — they guarantee that evictions have reasons, and that tenants can challenge evictions that don’t meet the legal grounds.

Practical tips for tenants across all jurisdictions:

Know your state’s specific rules. The general principles are similar but the details — grounds, notice periods, challenge mechanisms — vary. Your state tenancy service website has the specifics.

Document everything. If you receive an end-of-tenancy notice, verify it meets the legal requirements. Is the reason one of the prescribed grounds? Is the notice period correct? Is the notice in the required format? Defective notices can be challenged.

Seek advice early. If you receive a notice and believe it doesn’t have a valid basis, contact your state tenant advocacy service immediately. Time limits for challenges are strict, and early action is important.

The trajectory across Australia is clearly toward stronger tenant protections. But progress is uneven, implementation matters as much as legislation, and renters in some jurisdictions remain significantly more vulnerable than others.