From 30 November 2024, the proprietor of a rooming house with accommodation available for 5 or more persons (a designated rooming house) must be registered [Residential Tenancies Act 1995 (SA) s 103B]. Serious penalties, including imprisonment, may be imposed for carrying on a rooming house business unregistered.

Proprietors must pay an annual fee and provide information required by the Commissioner for Consumer Affairs to maintain their registration [s 103D]. The Commissioner for Consumer Affairs must be satisfied that the proprietor (or each director in the case of a body corporate) is a fit and proper person to be registered and has appropriate qualifications or experience [s 103C(3)]. Registration may be conditional or unconditional. The Commissioner may cancel or suspend a proprietor's registration if they are no longer a fit and proper person to be registered [s 103F]. The Commissioner must give at least 28 days notice in writing unless delaying suspension or cancellation may cause someone significant harm, loss or damage [s 103F].

A proprietor may apply to SACAT for review of a decision to refuse, cancel or suspend their registration [s 103G].

Designated rooming house proprietors must notify the Commissioner within 14 days if their name, address, or the address of their designated rooming house changes [s 103E(1)]. They must also inform the Commissioner if they cease to carry on the business [s 103E(2) and (3)].

For more information, see Consumer and Business Services' Rooming house proprietors' guide (PDF, 349 KB) and Forms and fact sheets for rooming houses.