South Australian rental law updates: What you need to know

The South Australian Government is introducing significant changes to rental laws, including the rollout of a prescribed state-wide rental application form. To stay compliant, rental applications will need to align with this updated form.

The updated Form 1A was officially released on September 1, 2025, with a grace period until January 1st, 2026. This gives your business time to transition smoothly. However, it’s important to note that some changes to rental application forms are not covered by the grace period.

We understand that regulatory changes can feel overwhelming, and we want to assure you that we’re here to support your business every step of the way. This blog will be regularly updated to keep you informed as changes occur.

Learning from other states

Earlier this year, we successfully implemented the prescribed application form in Queensland, working closely with the RTA and REIQ to ensure full compliance. Now, we are engaging with REISA and Consumer Business Services (CBS) to ensure all requirements for the South Australian prescribed form are met.

Updating 2Apply for compliance

Development has already begun to update your 2Apply application form to align with these changes.

Our teams are working to a clear timeline to ensure that you have the prescribed form well before the grace period ends, allowing us to make any further adjustments required by CBS.

What changes have we made so far?

From September 1, 2025, we’ve implemented an interim solution for the changes that sit outside of the grace period:

• An application information text box will now appear on each Property page.
• This text box gives you the option to include information that can be disclosed to applicants on your application form.

You will find this text box under:

Leasing > Applications > Application Information on any property page.

What you can include:

Examples of the details you may include:

• Whether the landlord has advertised, intends to advertise, or has entered into an existing sales agency agreement;
• Rates and charges for electricity, water, gas, or any other charges such as internet;
• Any exclusions that might be applicable.

This information will then appear as a block of text on the Property Details page of your 2Apply rental application form.

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What we’re working on next

We are making progress on the remaining changes that are covered by the grace period. We predict that these changes will include the following:

Application Information section

Given that the Application Information text box is only an interim solution, we will be making the following changes to the Application Information section:

• Adding the following questions:
  • Specify part/s of premises which will be excluded from the residential tenancy.
  • Duration of residential tenancy (tick one box):
    • Periodic
    • 12-months
    • Other fixed term (specify):
  • The landlord has advertised, intends to advertise or has entered into an existing sales agency agreement for the sale of the premises (tick one box): ☐ Yes ☐ No
  • Rates and charges for the following prescribed services will be paid by (tick one box in each case):
    Water: ☐Tenant ☐Landlord
    Electricity: ☐Tenant ☐Landlord
    Gas: ☐Tenant ☐Landlord ☐Not applicable
  • Specify any other charges or effects on charges (e.g. telephone/internet/subscription
    television/solar)
• Adding the Application Information section to the On list.
• Displaying the information added by agents on the Property Details page in 2Apply.
• Adding the information entered in the Application Information section to the Application PDFs generated when an application is submitted.
• Adding the Application Information section to the Property Summary > Additional Details page in Uploader.

Other changes:

We will also be making the following changes to various sections of your 2Apply application form:

• Adding the following question to the Applicants page:
  • Question:
    “Are all prospective tenants over the age of 18 and have legal capacity to enter into a residential tenancy agreement?”
  • ☐Yes ☐No
• Adding a “Current Address” field to the Your Details page.
• Showing the agent’s details in the header of the application.
• Adding a field allowing agents to enter their Registered Land Agent (RLA) Number.
• Removing Emergency Contacts from the References section in 2Apply.
• Adding all notes (sections highlighted in blue) to the 2Apply form as displayed on the Form A1.
• Adding Financial Documents to the Identification section.
• Renaming the Identification Section in 2Apply to Documentation.
• Adding an option for the standardised form from CBS to be available in 2Apply.
• Adding a setting to allow agents to enter the databases they will be checking as part of the application processing.
• Removing the following pages from the 2Apply application form:
  • Living History
  • Pets
  • Vehicles
  • Application Questions
  • Financials
• Removing the following questions from the 2Apply application form:
  • Are you a smoker?
  • Are you under 18 years of age?
• Removing the ability for applicants to change the rent amount offered.

Staying compliant & informed

Our goal is to make this transition as smooth as possible for your business. By implementing these updates early and keeping you informed, we aim to reduce time pressure and ensure you remain fully compliant.

Stay tuned to this blog for further updates as we continue to refine the South Australian prescribed application form and provide additional guidance for your team.