Reporting antisocial behaviour

To report incidents of antisocial behaviour by a public housing tenant, contact your nearest Housing Service Centre.

You can also submit information through an online form.

We'll investigate antisocial behaviour by public housing tenants that may be a breach of their State tenancy agreement or obligations under the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008.

When we confirm that an incident of antisocial behaviour has occurred, we'll take appropriate action.

Some complaints must first be reported to the relevant authority. If needed, they may work with us to resolve the matter.

Contact the Queensland Police Service:

for immediate safety concerns, triple zero (000)
for suspected illegal activity
if a neighbour is physically or verbally abusive to you
if illegal substances are being used
for incidents such as excessive noise or wild or rowdy parties.

Contact your local council for:

excessive dog barking,
dangerous or roaming dogs
cars blocking the footpath.

A mediation service can help resolve common disputes such as those involving noise, children or pets, that may occur as part of everyday living.

The Department of Justice Dispute Resolution Service can work with you and your neighbours to reach mutually agreed solutions.

We'll not normally become involved in these types of disputes unless the behaviour begins to escalate or negatively impacts other tenants, people or property. We encourage you to proactively resolve issues, either informally or through mediation services.

Find out more about resolving neighbourhood disputes.

How to report suspected illegal activity at a public housing property

We can't investigate criminal offences.

For suspected illegal activity at a property, contact the police, then let the department know you've done this.

Examples of behaviour that must be reported to the police include, but aren't limited to:

a neighbour being physically or verbally harassed by another neighbour
threats with weapons
domestic, family or sexual violence
suspected illegal drug activity
stalking
theft.

Anonymous complaints

Complaints can be made anonymously. We'll identify if the complaint falls within the department’s authority to investigate an action or needs to be directed to another agency (for example, council or the police).

When we investigate and take action in response to complaints, any personal information we collect is handled in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld).

If you request that your complaint be treated confidentially, we take all reasonable steps to protect your identity.

How we deal with complaints

We are committed to resolving complaints promptly, fairly and effectively.

When managing a complaint, we balance outcomes for public housing tenants, their neighbours and the broader community in line with our responsibilities under the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008.

We provide homes to some of the most vulnerable people in Queensland. Many of our tenants need additional support from other services to sustain a successful tenancy.

All landlords and agents in Queensland who manage residential tenancies, including the department, must comply with the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008.

We use the complaint mechanisms within the Act and don’t have greater powers than any other landlord or agent.

Process for investigating antisocial behaviour and evicting a tenant

When we receive a complaint about antisocial behaviour in public housing, we'll contact the tenant, offer them the right of reply, and consider any mitigating circumstances which may have contributed to the behaviour.

We'll also consider the impact of the behaviour on other tenants and neighbours and property.

If we find a tenant's behaviour is unacceptable, we'll work with all parties to try to resolve the situation as early as possible.

Where possible, we'll work with tenants to change their behaviour so that they can sustain their tenancy and live in harmony with their neighbours.

Depending on the circumstances and the severity of the behaviour, we may:

talk to the tenant about the consequences of their behaviour and remind them about their tenancy obligations
connect tenants with other government or community support agencies who can support them to stop the behaviour and meet their tenancy responsibilities
issue the tenant with warnings and/or Notices to remedy breach.
refer all parties to mediation to help resolve the issue
report the matter to the police
take immediate action to end the tenancy when the behaviour is dangerous and severe.

If the tenant continues the behaviour and there are 3 confirmed incidents of nuisance and/or serious behaviour within 12 months, we may consider taking steps to end the tenancy.

We'll take immediate action to end a tenancy on the first incident of dangerous/severe behaviour.

In some circumstances, we may apply directly to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) to end the tenancy.

Tenants can, at that time, request a further review of the decisions made about their tenancy.

Applying to QCAT

We don’t have greater powers than any other landlord or agent and are subject to the same timeframes, decisions and processes set by QCAT.

There are waiting times for a hearing at QCAT which vary throughout the state.

At the hearing, we'll present the case to the Tribunal Member who will determine the outcome based on the evidence presented. Tenants have the right to appear at the hearing and present their side of the story.

To help us at the QCAT hearing, we'll likely ask you to complete an affidavit and/or attend as a witness to tell the Tribunal Member about the antisocial behaviour you have experienced and its effects on your household.

Without such evidence, it may be unlikely for us to obtain a favourable decision from the Tribunal Member.

Even with such evidence, the Tribunal Member is under no obligation to provide a favourable decision to us. The Tribunal Member will make a decision after hearing and considering all information on the matter.

At the hearing, the Tribunal Member may:

provide a decision to end the tenancy
dismiss the matter
adjourn the matter to another date.

If the Tribunal Member decides to end the tenancy, the tenant may apply for a review of the decision (as allowed under the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2009), which can delay any eviction of the tenant.

Why some public housing tenants haven't been evicted for their antisocial behaviour

We investigate all complaints of antisocial behaviour thoroughly and fairly, giving tenants the opportunity to respond. Tenants can have a support person or advocate help them with this process.

We'll only take action after being satisfied that the antisocial behaviour has occurred and that the complaint relates to a tenancy matter that we're responsible for.

In some cases, we aren't able to confirm that an incident of antisocial behaviour has occurred. We must also ensure we give the tenant the opportunity to address the antisocial behaviour.

We may take a range of other actions to help the tenant address their behaviour and sustain their tenancy, including referral to a support worker or agency, closely monitoring the tenancy, or listing the household for a transfer.

If I’m unhappy with how my complaint was handled

If you aren't satisfied with how your complaint was managed, you can lodge a complaint under our Complaint Management Policy.

If you remain dissatisfied with our response, you can seek an external review by the Queensland Ombudsman.

More information

Last updated:: 1 July 2025