Homestay & accommodation resources (Queensland)

1 Which arrangement applies to you?

Which framework applies to a room arrangement in Queensland depends on the specific facts, and this page is general information, not legal advice. Nestbys is designed for boarder/lodger homestays — you have a room and share facilities in a home where the host lives in, letting three or fewer rooms. Arrangements like that are generally treated as boarder/lodger at common law, which is usually outsidethe Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 — but that isn’t automatic, and if a bond is paid the RTA’s bond rules can still apply. Other room arrangements can be rooming accommodation, and renting a whole place is a general tenancy. Use the official links below to confirm what fits your own situation, or get your own advice — Nestbys does not decide this for you and is not a party to your arrangement.

• Boarders and lodgers (RTA) ↗When the host lives in and rents ≤3 rooms — usually common law, not the Act; disputes go to the Magistrates Court.
• Tenancy agreement types (RTA) ↗Overview of general tenancy vs rooming accommodation agreements.
• Rooming accommodation coverage (RTA fact sheet) ↗Whether rooming accommodation rules apply to your situation.
• General tenancy agreements (RTA fact sheet) ↗For renting a whole house, unit or apartment (Form 18a).

2 Bonds — external information only

Nestbys never requests, holds, or handles a bond. A bond or security deposit is not part of Nestbys’ own model — Nestbys only ever collects its own flat platform fees. If you and your host separately agree on any security amount, that is strictly between the two of you — Nestbys is not involved. In Queensland, if a bond is paid the person who receives it generally must give a receipt and lodge it with the RTA (usually within 10 days), and this can apply even to a boarder/lodger homestay — not only a general tenancy. Check the official links below, or get your own advice.

The links below are general external information about how bond works under Queensland law, provided for context only. For other accommodation arrangements (general tenancies, rooming accommodation) where a bond may apply, these are the official sources.

• Rental bonds (RTA) ↗General QLD information on bond: who lodges, timeframes, maximum amount — for general tenancies and rooming accommodation.
• Rental bonds fact sheet (RTA) ↗Plain-English summary of QLD bond rules for reference.

3 If rent isn't paid

A Nestbys homestay is generally a boarder/lodger arrangement, so the RTA’s tenancy arrears process below does not usually apply — the arrangement is governed by what the host and guest agreed and by common law, and an unresolved dispute would typically go to the Magistrates Court, not QCAT. The forms below apply only if your particular arrangement is actually a general tenancy or rooming accommodation: for a general tenancy, once rent is 7+ days in arrears the property owner can issue a Notice to remedy breach (Form 11), and if it isn’t fixed a Notice to leave (Form 12) can follow; rooming accommodation uses Form R11.

• Non-payment of rent (RTA) ↗The official step-by-step for rent arrears.
• Notice to remedy breach — Form 11 (general tenancy) ↗Used when rent is in arrears in a general tenancy.
• Notice to remedy breach — Form R11 (rooming) ↗The rooming-accommodation equivalent.

4 Free, independent help

• Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) ↗Queensland's official tenancy authority — forms, bonds, dispute resolution.
• Tenants Queensland ↗Free tenancy advice service for renters in Queensland.
• QSTARS — do you rent a room? ↗Free advice specifically for people renting a room.