A month in Brisbane

Section 31 of the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 says the Act does not apply to a residential tenancy agreement if the right of occupancy is given for holiday purposes. It adds that a right to occupy premises for 6 weeks or longer is taken not to be given for holiday purposes unless the contrary is proved. A month of holiday is under the six weeks.

Section 40 adds that the Act applies to a residential tenancy agreement even when the premises are part of a hotel or motel, so the building type does not decide the question: the agreement does.

Brisbane City Council uses the same six weeks for its rates: its paid guest category covers short-term rentals of under 42 nights to guests who are not residents of the property.

No state or council levy on short stays was found as of September 2026, so a month in Brisbane carries no levy on top of the rent. The advertised price must be the total, GST included where it applies. No official statistic on monthly rents for holiday flats in Brisbane was found, so this guide gives no rent figures.

New Farm suits a month by the river, with Merthyr Village and New Farm Park, 15 hectares on a bend of the river with a ferry wharf and the Brisbane Riverwalk. West End suits a month with cafes, shops and a Saturday market on foot. Kangaroo Point suits a month with the CBD a bridge away. All three are in the council's Zone 2 for parking. These choices are editorial.

EU and British citizens can travel on the free eVisitor and US citizens on the ETA, which costs AUD 20 in the Australian ETA app. Both are valid for 12 months and allow up to 3 months after each entry, enough for a month; the eVisitor cannot be extended, and a longer stay needs a different visa.

Passengers complete an Incoming Passenger Card on arrival. Passengers on Qantas flights into Brisbane may be invited to complete the Australia Travel Declaration in the Qantas app instead, a digital pilot of the Australian Border Force; everyone else uses the paper card.

Airbnb calls 28 nights or more a monthly stay. The first month is charged up front and released to the host 24 hours after check-in, later months are charged 10 days before each period, and a long-term cancellation policy that generally needs 30 days' notice applies. A booking that runs past six weeks crosses the line in the tenancy act, so read what the agreement says it is.

Brisbane's street parking runs on the time limits on the signs, and a session cannot be topped up past them. In Zone 2 the longer meters cost AUD 3.45 an hour on weekdays with a cap of AUD 16.75, and AUD 2.95 at weekends with a cap of AUD 10.75. Zone 3, the rest of the city, is cheaper again. Every zone is free after 7pm at weekends, and the first 15 minutes are free in more than 7,500 street spaces once the plate is registered. For a month, a flat with its own space avoids the daily meter; ask before booking.

Letting a stay run to six weeks or more without checking the agreement. From 6 weeks the law presumes the stay is not a holiday.

Topping up a meter. Extending a session beyond the limit on the sign is illegal in Brisbane.

Forgetting the tolls. A rental company bills Brisbane's cashless tolls with its own fee, as GetCar's guide explains.

Staying past 3 months. The eVisitor and the ETA allow 3 months after each entry.