How much notice must my landlord give to enter the property in NSW?
It depends on the reason for entry — notice periods range from no notice at all for emergencies up to 7 days for routine inspections.
Your right to live peacefully at home is protected by NSW law. The Residential Tenancies Act 2010 sets out exactly when and how a landlord can enter, and how much warning they must give you each time. These rules apply to every residential tenancy in NSW.
Notice periods at a glance
| Reason for entry | Notice required | Frequency limit | Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Routine inspection | 7 days written notice | Max 4 times per 12 months | s55(2)(a) |
| Non-urgent repairs or maintenance | 2 days notice | Each visit needs its own notice | s55(2)(b) |
| Health and safety work or assessment | 2 days notice | Each visit needs its own notice | s55(2)(c) |
| Smoke alarm inspection or assessment | 2 business days notice | — | s55(2)(c1) + cl 13(a) |
| Smoke alarm repair or replacement | 1 hour notice | — | s55(2)(c1) + cl 13(b) |
| Property valuation | 7 days notice | Once per 12 months | s55(2)(d) |
| Photos or video for marketing | Reasonable notice | Once in 28 days before marketing or termination | s55(2)(d1) |
| Showing to prospective buyers | 14 days written notice of intention to sell (s53), then 48 hours per showing / max 2 per week — fallback if you and the landlord can’t agree on times | See s53 and s55(2)(f) | s53 + s55(2)(f) |
| Showing to prospective tenants | Reasonable notice, reasonable number of times | Final 14 days of tenancy only | s55(2)(e) |
| Urgent repairs | No notice required | — | s55(1)(b) |
| Emergency | No notice required | — | s55(1)(a) |
| Property appears abandoned | No notice required | — | s55(1)(d) |
| NCAT order authorising entry | No notice required | — | s55(1)(e) |
For notice-required entries, section 57 also restricts the times entry can happen — see “Entry hours and days” below.
Routine inspections — 7 days written notice
Your landlord must give you at least 7 days written notice before carrying out a routine inspection of the property. Under s55(2)(a) of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010, inspections are capped at four times in any 12-month period. Your landlord cannot inspect more often than that, even if they give proper notice each time.
A notice of inspection must be in writing. Verbal notice does not count for this purpose.
Non-urgent repairs and health and safety — 2 days notice
When a landlord needs to carry out necessary repairs or maintenance, they must give you at least 2 days notice (s55(2)(b)). The same 2-day notice applies when they need to carry out or assess work to comply with statutory health or safety obligations (s55(2)(c)).
Each visit needs its own notice — the 2 days does not roll over.
Showing the property for sale or re-letting
If the property is being sold
Before any prospective buyer inspections start, your landlord must give you at least 14 days written notice that they intend to sell the property (s53(1)).
After that first notice, section 53(2) says the landlord and tenant should first try to agree on inspection days and times. If you can reach an agreement, that agreement governs.
If you cannot agree, section 55(2)(f) sets the fallback: the landlord must give at least 48 hours notice per showing, and viewings can happen no more than twice in any period of a week. Section 53(4) also confirms you are not required to agree to more than twice a week.
If the property is being re-let
In the final 14 days before your tenancy is due to end, section 55(2)(e) permits your landlord to show the property to prospective tenants, but only a reasonable number of times and with reasonable notice before each showing. The Act doesn’t define a specific period for “reasonable notice” in this context — 24 to 48 hours is widely considered reasonable in practice. Outside that 14-day window, this type of entry is not permitted.
Photography and video for marketing
Under s55(2)(d1), your landlord can enter to take photos or video of the property for advertising purposes with reasonable notice — but not more than once in the 28 days before marketing begins (whether the marketing is for sale or re-lease), or before the tenancy ends. It is a one-off entry tied to a marketing or termination event, not a recurring 28-day allowance.
Taking the photos and publishing them are two separate rights. Even after your landlord or agent has entered to take marketing photos or video, section 55A of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 requires them to obtain your written consent before publishing any image in which your possessions are visible. This applies to online listings, emailed brochures, printed flyers, and public displays (though it does not apply to images shared privately between the landlord and agent for inspection or repair purposes). You cannot unreasonably withhold that consent — but the Act expressly states that it is not unreasonable to refuse if you are in circumstances of domestic violence (within the meaning of section 105B). Publishing without your written consent carries a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units.
Urgent repairs — no notice needed
A landlord can enter without giving you any notice to carry out urgent repairs under s55(1)(b) of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010. This covers situations where waiting for notice would cause serious damage or risk.
Urgent repairs include things like a burst water pipe, a broken heater in winter, or a gas leak. For a full list of what counts as an urgent repair under the Act, see our article What counts as an urgent repair in a NSW rental?
Note that s57(3)(c) also exempts urgent-repair entries from the 8am–8pm / no-Sunday / no-public-holiday restrictions that apply to notice-required entries. The landlord should still act reasonably, but the strict time-of-day limits do not bind them.
Emergencies, abandonment, and Tribunal orders — no notice needed
Section 55(1) allows entry without notice in several other scenarios:
- Emergency (s55(1)(a)) — immediate threats to life or serious risk of damage.
- Property appears abandoned (s55(1)(d)) — the landlord reasonably suspects the property is empty.
- NCAT order (s55(1)(e)) — the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal has authorised entry.
Under s57(3), each of these entry grounds is also exempt from the 8am–8pm / no-Sunday / no-public-holiday time restrictions.
Smoke alarms — special notice periods
Smoke alarms have their own notice rules under s55(2)(c1) and clause 13 of the Residential Tenancies Regulation 2019.
Under cl 13(a), if the landlord or their contractor wants to inspect or assess the condition of a smoke alarm, they must give at least 2 business days notice. This is business days — weekends and public holidays do not count.
Under cl 13(b), if the landlord needs to repair or replace a smoke alarm (including replacing the battery), a shorter notice of just 1 hour is required. This shorter period reflects that smoke alarm faults are safety issues that should be fixed quickly.
Entry hours and days
For every notice-required entry above, section 57 sets strict time limits:
- Entry must happen between 8.00 am and 8.00 pm (s57(1)(a))
- Entry cannot happen on Sundays or public holidays (s57(1)(b))
- The landlord or their authorised person must not stay longer than necessary (s57(1)(c))
These restrictions apply even when valid notice has been given. If your landlord has given proper notice for a Tuesday inspection at 9.00 am, they cannot then change the entry to a Sunday morning.
Important caveat: under s57(3), these time limits do NOT apply to entries under s55(1) — emergency, urgent repairs, abandonment, and Tribunal-order entries can happen outside the standard hours.
If you agree to let the landlord enter outside the permitted hours or on a restricted day, that is your choice — section 56 recognises tenant consent as an override, and the restrictions exist to protect you.
Who can enter?
The landlord can enter personally, or can send a real estate agent or another authorised person such as a tradesperson, valuer, or photographer. Under s57(2), any authorised person must have written consent from the landlord or agent — and if you are at home when they arrive, they must show you that written consent on request.
What to do if your landlord enters without proper notice
If your landlord enters the property without giving the correct notice — or enters outside the permitted hours or on a Sunday or public holiday for a notice-required entry — this is a breach of the residential tenancy agreement and of the Act.
You can:
- Raise it directly with the landlord or their agent in writing. Keep a record of what happened and when.
- Lodge a complaint with NSW Fair Trading.
- Apply to NCAT under section 61 for an order specifying or limiting the days, times, and purposes for which entry is authorised. Section 61(2) also lets NCAT order compensation for damage to or loss of your goods caused during an entry.
Your right to reasonable peace, comfort or privacy in your home is protected by section 50(2) of the Act — interfering with that right without lawful excuse is itself an offence (10 penalty units). Repeated unauthorised entries or entries designed to pressure you may amount to interference under s50(2).
Your right to peaceful enjoyment of your home
The Act gives you the right to live in the property without unreasonable interference from the landlord. These entry rules are the practical expression of that right. Under s55(4), s56(2), and s57(4), each of these entry rules is a term of every residential tenancy agreement — your landlord cannot contract out of them, even if a clause in your lease suggests otherwise.
Understanding these rules means you can confidently tell whether a notice you receive is valid and what you can do if it is not.
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