Information for Tenants and Occupants


This information is current as of 11 May 2022 and will be updated if the Commonwealth Government or the ACT Government announce new measures or changes.

In response to COVID-19, a number of temporary changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (the Act) were introduced on 2 September 2021. These changes have now ended, and the Act is operating as normal.

Background

In response to the ACT going into lockdown in August 2021, the ACT Government put in place emergency residential tenancy response measures through the Residential Tenancies (COVID-19 Emergency Response) Declaration 2021 (No 3) (the declaration) on
2 September 2021.

The declaration introduced temporary measures to protect households that were financially impacted by COVID-19 due to lost hours of work. The measures included an eviction moratorium, (in place from 2 September to 24 November 2021) and post moratorium transitional support measures (in place from 25 November 2021 to 11 May 2022).

For information on your rights and obligations as a tenant in the ACT, please refer to the Renting Book. The Renting Book was developed by the ACT Government as a tool for tenants to understand their rights and obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997. The Renting Book can be access here.

Further information for landlords can be found here.

Where can I go for help?

Contact the Legal Aid Tenancy Advice Service on 1300 402 512 or find out more information on their website here.

Contact Canberra Community Law on 02 6218 7977 or find out more information on their website here.

Relevant Legislation

To access the relevant legislation, click on the links below:

Residential Tenancies Act 1997