Consumer and Business Services (South Australia)

Consumer and Business Services (CBS) sits within the South Australian Attorney-General’s Department and is the state regulator for residential tenancies in South Australia. It administers the Residential Tenancies Act 1995 (South Australia) and the 2024 reforms that introduced prescribed termination grounds, rent-increase frequency limits of once per 12 months, pet request rules, and minimum housing standards.

CBS holds residential bonds in trust through Residential Bonds Online, the state’s digital bond service. Disputes that cannot be resolved between the parties — including bond release, rent reductions, repairs, and termination — are heard by the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT). CBS publishes the prescribed Form 1 (Residential Tenancy Agreement), Form A1 (notice terminating tenancy on prescribed grounds), bond lodgement and refund forms, and provides free tenancy advice but does not adjudicate disputes.

Records a South Australian landlord or agent should keep aligned to CBS published guidance: Form 1 tenancy agreement, condition report at start and end of tenancy, bond receipts via Residential Bonds Online, rent-increase notices honouring the 12-month interval and required notice period, repair request records, Form A1 or other prescribed termination notices with the supporting evidence for the ground claimed, and SACAT orders where applicable.