Mounting a TV in a rental
Most advice you will find online is written for New South Wales or Victoria, where the rules are different. This is the Tasmanian version, including a permission request you can copy and send today.
- Fixings into structure only
- Patch and paint on exit
- Written scope for your agent
In Tasmania you need the owner’s written consent before installing a wall fixture, and that includes a television bracket. Unlike NSW and Victoria, Tasmanian owners have broader discretion to refuse, so the mainland line that a landlord cannot unreasonably say no does not apply here. Ask first, in writing, and keep the reply.
Why the mainland advice is wrong for you
Several states have introduced provisions where consent for certain minor modifications cannot be unreasonably withheld. Tasmania is not among the most permissive on that front, and owners here retain wider discretion over whether to approve a fixture.
The practical consequence is simple: in Melbourne you might proceed on the assumption that refusal would be unreasonable. In Hobart you should not. Get it in writing.
This page describes the general position rather than giving legal advice. The Residential Tenancy Commissioner is the authority for your specific situation, and it is worth a call if your agent is unclear.
How to ask so you get a yes
Vague requests get refused. Specific ones usually do not, because the owner’s real concern is damage they will have to fix later. Address that directly.
- Say who is doing the work and that they are insured
- Say the fixings will go into structure, not into plaster, so the wall is not weakened
- Name the number of holes, which for a standard bracket is four
- Offer to patch, sand and repaint on exit at your cost
- Offer to leave the bracket in place if they would prefer it stays
A permission request you can copy
Dear [agent or owner name],
I would like your written permission to wall mount a television at [address]. The work would be carried out by an insured professional installer, not by me.
The bracket would be fixed into the wall framing rather than the plaster, using four fixings. Nothing structural would be altered and no electrical work is involved. At the end of the tenancy I will have the fixings removed, the holes filled and sanded, and the area repainted to match, at my own cost. If you would prefer the bracket to remain for the next tenant, I am happy to leave it.
Could you confirm in writing whether that is acceptable? Thank you.
What about no-drill options?
They exist, and for a television they are mostly not worth it. Adhesive and tension systems are rated for light loads, and a modern screen on a cantilevered bracket is not a light load. A bar or panel that lets go takes the wall finish with it, which is worse than the four holes you were trying to avoid.
Two alternatives that genuinely work in a rental:
- A floor-standing TV stand. No holes at all, and the good ones look deliberate rather than like a compromise.
- A properly mounted bracket, patched on exit. Four fixings, filled and painted when you leave. This is what most tenants choose once they price the alternatives.
Reinstating on exit
Filling four screw holes in plasterboard is a small job. Lath and plaster is more involved, because the visible hole is often not the extent of the damage: an over-tightened fixing breaks the plaster keys behind the lath, and the area around the hole can be loose even though it looks intact.
That is an argument for having it mounted properly in the first place. A fixing driven into a stud at the right torque does very little damage. More on Hobart wall construction.
Student and share housing around UTAS
Sandy Bay, the Hobart CBD, New Town and Mount Nelson have the highest rental density in Greater Hobart, much of it older housing with lath and plaster walls and a February turnover. Two things worth knowing if that is you.
Consent has to come from the owner or the managing agent. A head tenant cannot give it, and neither can your housemates. And if you are moving in February, book early; it is the busiest fortnight of the year for this work in Hobart.
What we do for renters
- A written scope you can forward to your agent before you commit to anything
- Fixings into structure only, at the correct torque, to minimise the damage
- The minimum number of holes the bracket safely allows
- Patch, sand and paint reinstatement at the end of the tenancy if you want it
Reviewed: August 2026
Useful answers before the appointment.
Renting in Tasmania has its own rules. These are the questions tenants and agents actually ask us.
Generally yes, with the owner’s written consent. Under Tasmania’s residential tenancy framework a tenant needs written permission before installing fixtures, and wall fixtures including picture hooks fall into that category. Ask first and keep the reply.
Yes, and it matters. NSW and Victoria have provisions where consent for certain minor modifications cannot be unreasonably refused. Tasmania gives owners broader discretion, so mainland advice that says a landlord cannot say no does not apply here.
You risk being asked to reinstate the wall at your own cost at the end of the tenancy, and a bond deduction if you do not. Getting written consent up front costs nothing and removes the argument entirely.
Not securely, for a television. No-drill options exist for very light loads but nothing rated for a modern screen. The realistic answer in a rental is a small number of properly placed holes, patched and painted when you leave.
Fixing holes are filled, sanded flush and touched up to match. On plasterboard this is straightforward. On lath and plaster it needs more care, because the original damage often extends behind the surface where a fixing was over-tightened.
Frequently, especially when the request names who is doing the work, states that fixings go into structure rather than plaster, and offers to reinstate on exit. A vague request is far more likely to be refused than a specific one.
Yes. The consent has to come from the owner or the managing agent, not from the head tenant or your housemates. That applies to the UTAS rentals around Sandy Bay and the CBD the same as anywhere else.
Renting in Hobart and want it done properly?
We will give you a written scope to send your agent before anything is booked. Tell us the suburb, the screen size and roughly when the building went up.
What to send us
- Screen size and model
- Your suburb
- Roughly when the house was built
- A photo of the wall
Same-week installation across Greater Hobart. Same-day where the schedule allows.