Rent increase response letter: what a Queensland tenant should write

A useful rent increase response names the proposed rent and date, explains what you are asking for, gives one or two factual reasons, and requests a written reply. Keep it calm and specific. A negotiation letter does not replace formal dispute steps or extend their deadlines.

This example is for a Queensland general residential tenancy. Adapt it to your documents; rooming accommodation and some housing providers have different rules.

Work out what the letter is trying to do

Choose the main request before writing. You might be asking for a lower rent, querying a date, or requesting evidence of the last increase. Mixing every concern into one long email can make the answer harder to pin down.

Check whether you received an increase notice for your existing agreement or an offer to enter a new agreement. Existing general tenancy increases require at least two months' written notice; a new agreement at a higher rent has no separate increase notice requirement. The property's 12-month rule still matters, with exceptions. (RTA rent increases, checked 21 October 2026.)

A fictional worked example and letter

Worked example (fictional). Sam pays A$640 a week and is offered a new 12-month agreement at A$700. Sam would like to stay and proposes A$670. The offered increase is A$60 a week, or A$3,120 over 52 weeks. Sam's proposed increase would be A$30 a week, or A$1,560. Neither figure predicts what the owner will accept.

Here is one possible negotiation email for that invented situation:

Subject: Proposed renewal rent — [property address]

Hi [property manager's name],

Thank you for sending the proposed 12-month renewal at A$700 a week from [date]. I would like to stay and ask whether the owner would consider A$670 a week for that term.

I have paid rent on time throughout the tenancy. The nearby units I have reviewed suggest a lower figure may be worth discussing; I have attached a short comparison showing their features and differences from this unit.

Please let me know the owner's response in writing by [date], so I can consider my options. This email is a request to discuss the proposed terms, rather than acceptance of the offered renewal.

Thanks, [name]

Use the payment-history sentence only if it is true. Attach comparisons only if you have them. Choose a reply date that leaves you time to act, without treating it as a change to any formal deadline.

If the problem is the last-increase date

A separate sentence could say: “Please provide evidence of the date rent was last increased for the property, with other people's personal information removed.” Tenants can make that request in writing under s 93A; the owner or agent generally has 14 days after receiving it to provide the evidence. Exempt lessors are outside that requirement. A transitional exception also removes the 14-day duty for a lessor who purchased within 12 months after 6 June 2024 if neither the lessor nor their agent holds the last-increase information. Ask the RTA or QSTARS if that exception may apply. (Act, ss 93A and 579A, checked 21 October 2026.)

If the notice appears defective, identify the precise issue and ask for clarification. Get advice before stating that no increase is payable or withholding rent. QSTARS rent guidance distinguishes incorrect notice from an excessive increase (checked 21 October 2026).

Do not let correspondence consume the deadline

For an existing increase notice, the QCAT window is within 30 days after receipt and, if fixed term, before the term ends. For an eligible subsequent agreement, the s 71 window is within 30 days after entering it; that route needs the same premises, a later agreement starting after the old one ends and at least one continuing tenant. (Act, ss 71 and 92, checked 21 October 2026.)

RTA dispute resolution comes first. Lodge Form 16 early, keep proof and ask QSTARS how to protect the QCAT deadline rather than waiting indefinitely for a reply. (Act, s 416, checked 21 October 2026.)

QSTARS offers free advice and help with letters on 1300 744 263; the RTA offers information and free conciliation on 1300 366 311 (checked 21 October 2026). Use the free Renewal Check to compare the figures before choosing a proposed rent.

RenterRescue provides general information about Queensland tenancy rules and a cost worksheet. It is not legal advice and does not consider your circumstances. Rules change; check the RTA and get free advice from QSTARS or Tenants Queensland before acting on a deadline.