5 Compliance Mistakes That Could Cost Landlords This Year

Owning a rental property comes with a fair bit of paperwork most people don’t think about until it matters – and unfortunately, compliance is one of those areas where “I didn’t know” rarely holds up as a defence. Whether you’re renting out a property in NSW, VIC, WA, or QLD, the rules differ from state to state, and they change more often than you’d expect.

At Blink Property, we see the same handful of compliance mistakes trip up landlords again and again – not because they’re careless, but because nobody handed them a checklist when they got the keys. So here’s that checklist.

1. Smoke Alarms That Aren’t Actually Compliant

This is the single most common issue we come across, and also one of the most serious. Every state has specific requirements around the number, placement, and testing frequency of smoke alarms in a rental property – and in most states, landlords carry legal responsibility for ensuring alarms are working, not just installed.

The mistake usually isn’t “no smoke alarms” – it’s outdated ones. A hardwired alarm from a decade ago, a battery that hasn’t been tested in years, or an alarm placed in the wrong part of the property can all mean a landlord is technically non-compliant without realising it. 

Given how much these requirements vary by state, this is exactly the kind of detail worth confirming with a property manager who knows the current rules for your specific location – something we walk landlords through directly on our Landlord page.

2. Missing or Expired Safety Switch Checks

Electrical safety switches (RCDs) are a legal requirement in rental properties in most Australian states, and like smoke alarms, they need regular testing – not a one-off installation and forget. 

This one catches out landlords who bought an older property and assumed the previous owner’s compliance certificate was still valid, or simply didn’t know a rental-specific requirement even existed separate to standard building code.

The fix is straightforward: get a licensed electrician to confirm compliance at the start of a tenancy, and keep records. It’s a small cost that avoids a genuinely serious risk – both to your tenant’s safety and to your legal position if something goes wrong.

3. Getting the Bond Process Wrong

Bond mishandling is one of the most common sources of landlord-tenant disputes, and often the mistake is procedural rather than intentional – lodging the bond late, using the wrong form, or failing to provide a proper condition report at the start of the tenancy that would support a bond claim later.

A clean, thorough condition report with dated photos at move-in isn’t just good practice – it’s often the single piece of documentation that determines whether a bond dispute goes smoothly or drags on. 

This is one of the areas where having professional property management genuinely pays for itself, because the process is followed correctly every single time, not just when someone remembers.

4. Ignoring Minimum Standards for Habitability

Most states have introduced (or strengthened) minimum standards for rental properties in recent years – covering things like ventilation, hot water, structural soundness, and in some states, specific requirements around locks, window coverings, and even internet or mobile connectivity infrastructure. It’s easy to assume a property that “seems fine” meets these standards, but the legal definition can be more specific than common sense suggests.

Landlords who bought a property some years ago and haven’t reviewed it against current minimum standards are often the most exposed here, simply because the rules have moved since they last checked. It’s worth a periodic review, particularly before renewing a lease.

5. Assuming “It Was Fine Last Year” Means It’s Fine This Year

This is the mistake that sits underneath most of the others: treating compliance as a one-time task rather than an ongoing responsibility. Legislation genuinely does change – sometimes annually – and requirements that applied when you first became a landlord may have shifted since. What was compliant 18 months ago isn’t automatically compliant today.

The landlords who stay ahead of this aren’t necessarily the most experienced ones – they’re the ones with a system for staying current, whether that’s a property manager tracking it for them or a habit of checking in on state legislation updates each year.

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Compliance Doesn’t Have to Feel Overwhelming

We get it – none of this is why anyone gets into property investment. Nobody dreams of becoming an expert in state-based smoke alarm legislation. But getting it right protects your tenants, your property, and you, and it really doesn’t need to be something you carry alone.

This is exactly where a good property manager earns their keep – not just chasing rent, but staying on top of the compliance detail so you don’t have to. If you’re not confident your property is fully across current requirements, it’s worth a proper check rather than an assumption.

Not sure where your property stands? Get in touch with our team and we’ll help you work through exactly what’s required, state by state, so you can stop worrying about it and get back to the parts of landlording that are actually enjoyable.