How Much Notice Do You Need to Give Tenants to Show Your Property?
Looking for new tenants or selling your property? Find out how much notice you need to give when the time comes.
How much notice do I need to give my current tenants if I need to show the property?
Selling your property? Or are your current tenants vacating and you need to find new ones? Either way, you’re going to need to show the property to the prospective parties. Viewings, Inspections or Showings are an essential part of being able to market your property.
But what happens if your property is currently tenanted? How do you navigate property viewings/inspections or showings and how much notice do you need to give?
An owners right to enter the property
All tenants have the right to privacy when renting. A landlord or anybody else acting on their behalf can enter the property if notice is provided however there are different rules in each state depending on the circumstances.
We’ll talk about renting and selling in particular in this article but there are links below to more broader circumstances in each state.
Entering a property to organise a viewing or inspection - For Rent
NSW: This can only happen in the last 14 days of the tenancy and ‘reasonable notice’ is required.
VIC: 48 hours' written notice is required and only in the last 21 days of the tenancy between 8am and 6pm except public holidays. Entry outside these times is only possible if the renter agrees.
QLD: 24 hours' notice is required. A reasonable amount of time must have passed since the last entry for this reason and there are different rules for open houses.
SA: The landlord can show the property to prospective tenants in the last 28 days of the tenancy. This can happen at the time requested by the tenant or after giving reasonable notice and only for a reasonable number of times.
WA: You can show the premises to prospective tenants in the 21 days before the end of an agreement, and have given ‘reasonable notice’ in writing.
TAS: 48 hours’ notice is required in writing and a notice to vacate must have been served. If it’s a fixed term agreement then there must be less than 28 days to go until the end date.
ACT: During the final 3 weeks of the tenancy and 24 hours notice is required.
NT: 24 hours notice is required and can only happen in the 28 days before the end of the tenancy agreement. The landlord must be reasonable about the number of inspections sought.
Entering the property to show to prospective buyers - For Sale
NSW: 14 days’ written notice must be given before the first inspection. After the first inspection, the tenant can agree on a suitable time frame but no more than 2 inspections per week with 48 hours’ notice each time.
VIC: 48 hours' written notice is required and only between 8am and 6pm except public holidays. Entry outside these times is only possible if the renter agrees.
QLD: 24 hours' notice is required. A reasonable amount of time must have passed since the last entry for this reason and there are different rules for open houses.
SA: The property can be shown to prospective buyers, no more than twice in 7 days - unless agreed otherwise - and at a time previously agreed with the tenant. If there is no agreement, after giving the tenant reasonable notice.
WA: You can show the premises to prospective buyers, after giving ‘reasonable notice’ in writing; or the tenant has given their consent.
TAS: An owner may enter the property to show the property to a potential buyer after giving 48 hours’ notice in writing.
ACT: You must give you 48 hours’ notice that access is required and only two inspections for prospective purchasers per week are permitted.
NT: 24 hours notice is required and the landlord must be reasonable about the number of inspections sought.
Should I wait for the tenant to vacate the property before I show it?
The answer depends on what the ultimate outcome is. If you’re presenting your property for sale, then there is an argument that says that a property presents better when there is furniture in it, rather than when it’s completely empty as it helps to give vision to what’s possible inside the home.
But sometimes it’s still better to wait until the tenants vacate and then hire furniture and a home stylist to make it look more attractive for prospective buyers as the tenants may not have the right furniture or look for the space.
It can also be hard if you’re showing the property to lots of prospective buyers. It's an inconvenience for anyone to keep a property looking immaculate for regular home opens and inspections.
It is an even bigger ask for tenants to keep the place immaculate, particularly as it brings uncertainty and there’s not really any positive outcome for them.
Looking to sell your home? You can do it on RentBetter for just $399. Find out how here.
If your tenants are just vacating and you’re going to continue to rent it out then ideally you’d want that to happen as soon as possible with little or no gap in tenants and income so you’ll need to show the property whilst the current tenants still live there.
Keeping in mind that there are limited in some states as to when you can start showing the property to new tenants - For example in NSW this can only happen in the last 14 days of the tenancy - but this is usually more than enough time to secure new tenants.
Whilst you’d expect the property to be kept reasonably tidy, it usually doesn’t matter what it looks like if you’re just putting it up for rent again, especially in today’s competitive market.
Use RentBetter to show your property!
One of the most time consuming parts of finding a tenant is arguably hosting inspections. On RentBetter you can book someone else to handle your viewings for just $299 for a package of 3.
Find out more about how viewings work on RentBetter.
On average, RentBetter users rent out their property within 14 days of posting their ad. They’re able to do this because we’ve streamlined the entire rental process.
From getting your ad posted to the property portals, responding to enquiries, organising inspections, conducing tenant checks and viewing and approving applicants - we’ve made it simple to find a great tenant fast!
