How to remove a tenancy database listing in Australia: the rules in each State

You can get a tenancy database listing removed or corrected if it breaks your State’s rules: for example, it was made while you were still renting, on a reason the law does not allow, without the written warning you were owed, or it is wrong or past its time limit. Start by writing to the landlord or agent who listed you and asking them to fix it. If they will not, in most States you can ask a tribunal or court to order the listing removed or changed, though the exact rules differ from place to place.

Claim Done drafts a tenancy database listing dispute letter from your answers for a flat A$49. It tests the listing against your State’s rules and asks for it to be removed or corrected, or not made at all if you have only been warned.

What a tenancy database is

Tenancy databases, often called tenant blacklists, are run by private companies, not by the government or the tribunal. The NSW Government’s tenancy database page names TICA, the National Tenancy Database and Trading Reference Australia among the databases operating in NSW. Members pay to use them, so a listing can follow you from one application to the next.

When a landlord or agent may list you

The rules are set by each State’s tenancy law, and they are strict. In the official pages we read, a few points come up again and again:

• You can only be listed after the tenancy has ended. NSW says you cannot be listed just because you fell behind with rent or were given a termination notice.
• Only a person named as a tenant on the agreement can be listed. In NSW, occupants, visitors and children cannot be.
• There must be a permitted reason. In most States that means you owe more than the bond because of a breach, or a tribunal or court ended the tenancy because of what you did. Queensland adds further conditions to the money ground.
• You must be told in writing before the listing is made and given time to object.
• The listing must be accurate, complete and clear, and it can only stay for a limited time.

Several States also protect renters affected by family or domestic violence. NSW, for example, says a landlord or agent cannot list you if you ended the tenancy because of domestic abuse or can show you were affected by it during the tenancy.

The rules State by State

This table sets out only what each official page we read says, as at November 2026. Where a page did not cover a point, the table says so. Check with your State’s regulator before you rely on it.

Listings must also come off early in some cases. In Victoria and Western Australia, a listing for money owed comes off if you paid it within three months. In Queensland, a listing must be removed once the debt is paid.

Your right to see the listing and have it fixed

You are entitled to see what has been said about you. In NSW you can get a free copy from the person who listed you or the database operator, within 14 days of asking. Victoria gives you a copy within 14 days, free the first time in any 12 months. In Western Australia you ask in writing and get it within 14 days, though a reasonable fee can be charged for providing it. In South Australia no fee may be charged from 1 July 2024.

Once the landlord or agent knows a listing is wrong or out of date, NSW, Victoria and Queensland give them 7 days to tell the database operator, and the operator then has 14 days to change or remove it. In Victoria, you cannot ask the database operator to change your listing yourself: you ask the rental provider or agent who made it.

What the dispute letter asks for

A good dispute letter is calm, specific and tied to the rules. It should:

1. Name you, the rental address, the tenancy dates and the database, if you know it.
2. Check the listing against each rule: was the tenancy over, was there a permitted reason, were you warned in writing first, is it accurate, and is it within the time limit.
3. Say exactly what is wrong, such as an amount you do not owe or a debt you have since paid.
4. Ask for the listing to be removed or corrected within a set time, or not made at all if you have only been warned.
5. Ask for written confirmation once it is done.
6. Ask for a copy of exactly what is, or will be, listed and of any notice they say they gave you.
7. Say that if it is not fixed you may apply to your State’s tribunal or court.

How the letter is set out

The Claim Done letter follows this structure:

• Heading: “Tenancy database listing” or “Proposed tenancy database listing”, with the rental address.
• Who you are: your name, the address, the tenancy dates and the database involved.
• Checking the listing: numbered points on timing, the reason, the written warning, accuracy and the time limit, using only your facts and your State’s rules.
• What you ask for: removal, correction or no listing, by a stated date, with written confirmation and a copy of the listing.
• Next steps: your right to apply to the tribunal or court named for your State.

How to send it and what to keep

Send the letter by email to the agent or landlord who listed you, so you have a dated record. Keep:

• your tenancy agreement and the final bond paperwork
• any warning letter about the listing, and the date it arrived
• any tribunal or court order about the tenancy, or a note that there was none
• proof of any payment you made after you moved out
• the copy of the listing, and your letter with the date you sent it
• every reply.

If they will not fix it

If the landlord or agent does not remove or correct the listing, you can apply to the tribunal or court for your State in the table above. In NSW, the Tribunal can order a listing removed or changed if it is unjust, incorrect or out of date, and it can award compensation for loss caused by an inaccurate listing. The ACT Renting Book says you can apply to ACAT to prohibit, remove or amend a listing and for compensation. In Queensland, you can also use the Residential Tenancies Authority’s dispute resolution service, and you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

Mistakes to avoid

• Waiting too long. Queensland gives you 6 months from when you find out about the listing.
• Writing only to the database operator. In Victoria the request has to go to whoever listed you.
• Ignoring a warning letter. That is your chance to object before anything is listed.
• Arguing about everything. Point to the rule the listing breaks and the fact that is wrong.
• Paying to make it go away without asking for written confirmation that the listing will be removed.

If a listing is costing you rentals, put your objection in writing now. Start your tenancy database listing dispute for A$49, review the draft, and send it once you approve it.