Increasing the rent through a new lease agreement (Queensland)

This article is for Queensland owners who want to increase the rent by signing a new lease agreement, rather than serving a separate rent increase notice.

The Cubbi dashboard does not guide this type of rent increase. (this route is for the experienced only)

This isn't the path we recommend for most owners. The simplest, safest way to increase rent is to serve a compliant rent increase notice through Cubbi (the "Serve notice via Cubbi" option).

Before you start: 3 things to know

1. The increase can only take effect on the start date of the new lease as per QLD Residential Tenancy Act Section 93 2b(ii). It can't start part-way through the new lease term, and it can't be backdated.
2. It only takes legal effect once the new lease is fully signed by everyone (all owners and all tenants). Until it's fully signed, the increase has no legal basis.
3. The 12-month rule still applies. Rent can only be increased once every 12 months, and that limit is attached to the property, not the tenancy, so it counts increases from any previous tenants too. Cubbi will show you the earliest date you're allowed to increase.

How it works

Because the increase takes effect through the new lease, you do it in two steps:

1. Record the rent increase in Cubbi using Update Cubbi only, with the effective date set to your  intended new lease's start date.
2. Renew the lease. The new lease agreement will automatically show the new rent, so when your tenant signs it, they're agreeing to the increase.

Step-by-step

1. From your lease page, choose + New → Increase rent.
2. Enter the new weekly rent and set the effective date to the start date of the new lease you're about to create next.
3. On How would you like to handle this?", choose Update Cubbi only and tick the confirmation. (This records the rent change without serving a separate rent increase notice — you're handling it through the lease instead.)
4. Finish and submit. The new rent is now recorded, effective on your lease start date.
5. Now start the lease renewal for the same start date as the rent increase effective date. The new lease agreement will display the new rent in its rent section.
6. Send the lease for signing. The increase only takes effect once every party has signed.

Tip: Make sure the lease start date and the increase effective date are the same date and ideally fall on the tenant's usual rent day, so the rent cycle stays clean. You may need to nudge the lease start date by a day or two.

If the tenant doesn't sign 

This is the most important part. Because "Update Cubbi only" records the increase straight away, the increase will go ahead on its effective date whether or not the new lease is signed. If the lease isn't going to be signed, you must cancel the rent increase before its effective date, otherwise Cubbi may start collecting the higher rent without a signed agreement to support it.

To cancel: open the rent increase and choose Cancel rent change (available any

time before the effective date). This removes the change and the rent stays as it

was. After the effective date has passed, it can no longer be simply cancelled - you will need to contact us in support.

Not sure?

If any of this is unclear, the safest option is to serve a rent increase notice

through Cubbi instead, or reach out to us and we'll help you choose the right path.