Rental bidding has been outlawed and price rises will only occur annually after major reforms were passed in Queensland.

Nearly two million renters in the state will be protected by strengthened laws that ban any form of rent bidding and only allow rent to be increased once a year on a property.

“These reforms are about making renting fairer, safer and easier,” Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon said in a statement.

“It means renters won’t have to bid more than advertised to secure a rental, that they’ll have their privacy protected and a new code of conduct will stamp out unprofessional practices.”

Under the reform, re-letting costs will be limited based on how long is left on a fixed-term lease, fee-free options have to be provided to renters and any claims from a property manager to be detracted from a bond must be supported by evidence.

Landlords will also have to provide 48 hours entry notice and a set form will be introduced for applications prescribing what documentation is needed from the prospective renter.

The latest tranche of reforms follow earlier legislation that ended without grounds evictions and introduced minimum housing standards.

It also made it easier to have a pet and gave renters experiencing domestic violence the right to end their tenancy with limited liability for end-of-lease costs.

The changes come after Brisbane became Australia’s third most expensive city with a 0.9 per cent rental vacancy rate in the March quarter.

– AAP