{"id":"accommodation-providers-act-1981","name":"Accommodation Providers Act 1981","slug":"accommodation-providers-act-1981","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"nt","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":29821,"registerId":"nt-accommodation-providers-act-1981-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Accommodation Providers Act 1981","content":"NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\nACCOMMODATION PROVIDERS ACT 1981\nAs in force at 1 July 2022\nTable of provisions\n1 Short title ......................................................................................... 1\n2 Commencement .............................................................................. 1\n3 Interpretation ................................................................................... 1\n4 Guest at accommodation establishment .......................................... 2\n5 Liability of accommodation provider ................................................ 2\n6 Restriction of accommodation provider's liability ............................. 2\n7 Liability for vehicles ......................................................................... 3\n8 Defences ......................................................................................... 4\n9 Lien over guest's property ............................................................... 4\n10 Sale of property ............................................................................... 4\n11 Application of proceeds of sale ........................................................ 5\n12 Regulations...................................................................................... 5\n13 Transitional matters for Justice and Licensing Legislation\nAmendment Act 2022 ...................................................................... 5\nSchedule\nENDNOTES\n\n\n\nNORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\n____________________\nAs in force at 1 July 2022\n____________________\nACCOMMODATION PROVIDERS ACT 1981\nAn Act to regulate the liabilities and rights of accommodation providers\n1 Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the Accommodation Providers Act 1981.\n2 Commencement\nThis Act shall come into operation on a date to be fixed by the\nAdministrator by notice in the Gazette.\n3 Interpretation\n(1) In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears:\naccommodation establishment means, irrespective of whether it\nis licensed under the Liquor Act 2019:\n(a) a common inn or an establishment held out by an\naccommodation provider as providing, without special\ncontract, sleeping accommodation to a person presenting\nhimself who appears able and willing to pay a reasonable sum\nfor the services and facilities offered and who is in a fit state to\nbe received;\n(b) any premises used for the purposes of providing board and\nlodgings for members of the public as a commercial enterprise\nand includes a boarding-house, guest-house and lodging-\nhouse; and\n(c) a facility that is prescribed, or is of a type that is prescribed, for\nthe purposes of this definition,\nbut (subject to paragraph (c)) does not include a caravan park or\nthe erection or placement and use of tents, mobile homes or cabins\nfor the purposes of providing board and lodgings for members of\nthe public as a commercial enterprise.\naccommodation provider means the operator of an\naccommodation establishment.\n\nAccommodation Providers Act 1981 2\nvehicle means a vehicle within the meaning of the Motor Vehicles\nAct 1949, a horse and carriage, and chattels used in connection\nwith a vehicle.\n(1A) The Regulations may prescribe a facility or type of facility as an\naccommodation establishment for the purposes of the definition of\naccommodation establishment in subsection (1) despite that the\nfacility is of a type that would otherwise be excluded by the terms of\nthe definition.\n(2) Nothing in this Act shall affect the liability of a person for loss of, or\ndamage to, property caused by his default, neglect or wilful act, or\nthat of his servant.\n(3) The law in force immediately before the commencement of this Act\nrelating to the rights and liabilities of an innkeeper with respect to\nthe property of a guest shall cease to apply to an hotel-keeper on\nand from the commencement of this Act.\n(4) If a regulation prescribes a facility or type of facility to be an\naccommodation establishment for the purposes of this Act, the law\nin force immediately before the commencement of the regulation\nrelating to the rights and liabilities of an innkeeper with respect to\nthe property of a guest ceases to apply to the operator of the facility\n(or a facility of that type, as the case may be) on and from the\ncommencement of the regulation.\n4 Guest at accommodation establishment\n(1) For the purposes of this Act, a person shall be a guest at an\naccommodation establishment only where sleeping accommodation\nat the accommodation establishment has been engaged by or for\nhim.\n5 Liability of accommodation provider\nSubject to sections 6, 7 and 8, an accommodation provider is liable,\nin his capacity as an accommodation provider, for loss of, whether\nby theft or otherwise, or damage to, property brought to an\naccommodation establishment by or on behalf of a guest.\n6 Restriction of accommodation provider's liability\n(1) Subject to this section, the amount payable in respect of the liability\nof an accommodation provider to any one person who is a guest at\nthe accommodation establishment with respect to property that,\nwhile at the accommodation establishment, is lost, whether by theft\nor otherwise, or damaged shall not exceed 750 monetary units or, if\nthe Regulations prescribe another amount for the purposes of this\nsubsection, that amount.\n\nAccommodation Providers Act 1981 3\n(1A) The amount that applies in respect of the loss of or damage to\nproperty referred to in subsection (1) is the amount that is\nprescribed at the time the loss or damage occurred.\n(2) Subsection (1) shall not have effect unless, at the time the property\nin question was brought to an accommodation establishment, a\ncopy printed in plain type of the notice appearing in the Schedule\nwas conspicuously displayed in the sleeping accommodation\noccupied by a guest and in a place where it could conveniently be\nread by the guest at or near the reception office or desk or, where\nthere is no reception office or desk, at or near the main entrance to\nthe accommodation establishment.\n(3) Notwithstanding compliance with subsection (2), subsection (1)\nshall not have effect where the property in question:\n(a) was lost, whether by theft or otherwise, or damaged through\nthe default, neglect or wilful act of the accommodation\nprovider or his servant;\n(b) was deposited by or on behalf of a guest expressly for\nsafekeeping with the accommodation provider or his servant\nauthorized or appearing to be authorized for the purpose and,\nif so required by the accommodation provider or his servant,\ndeposited in a container fastened or sealed by the depositor;\nor\n(c) was offered to the accommodation provider or a servant\nauthorized or appearing to be authorized for the purpose for\ndeposit for safekeeping and the accommodation provider or\nthe servant refused to receive it or, through the default of the\naccommodation provider or the servant, was unable to receive\nit.\n7 Liability for vehicles\n(1) An accommodation provider is not liable, in his capacity as an\naccommodation provider, for loss of, whether by theft or otherwise,\nor damage to, a vehicle brought to the accommodation\nestablishment by or on behalf of a guest or to property left in or on\nthe vehicle.\n(2) An accommodation provider, in his capacity as an accommodation\nprovider, shall not have a lien over property referred to in\nsubsection (1).\n\nAccommodation Providers Act 1981 4\n8 Defences\nAn accommodation provider is not liable, in his capacity as an\naccommodation provider, for loss of, whether by theft or otherwise,\nor damage to, property of a guest if the accommodation provider\nestablishes:\n(a) that the loss or damage was due to the misconduct or\nnegligence of the guest or his servant or a person\naccompanying the guest or an act of God or the Crown's\nenemies; or\n(b) that the guest had assumed exclusive charge and custody of\nthe room in which the property was at the time of the loss or\ndamage.\n9 Lien over guest's property\nSubject to section 7(2), an accommodation provider has a right of\nlien over property brought to an accommodation establishment by\nor on behalf of a guest for the accommodation provider's charges\nfor food, drink, accommodation or services provided to the guest or\non that guest's account.\n10 Sale of property\n(1) Where an accommodation provider's charges for food, drink,\naccommodation or services remain unpaid for 28 days after they\nbecome due and payable, the accommodation provider may, in\naddition to any other remedy provided by law, sell by public auction\nproperty that he has held in pursuance of section 9.\n(2) An accommodation provider shall give notice of a proposed sale\nunder subsection (1) not later than 7 days before the proposed\nsale:\n(a) by placing an advertisement in a newspaper published or\ncirculating in the area where the accommodation\nestablishment is located; and\n(b) by posting a notice by registered mail to the last-known place\nof residence or business of the guest whose property he\nproposes to sell or by serving upon that guest personally a\nnotice of the proposed sale.\n(3) A notice under subsection (2) of a proposed sale shall indicate:\n(a) the name of the guest;\n(b) the amount of the guest's indebtedness;\n\nAccommodation Providers Act 1981 5\n(c) the time and place of the proposed sale;\n(d) the property to be sold; and\n(e) the name of the auctioneer.\n11 Application of proceeds of sale\n(1) The proceeds of a sale made under section 10 shall be applied by\nan accommodation provider, in order of preference, in payment of:\n(a) the amount owed to the accommodation provider; and\n(b) the costs of the advertisement and sale made pursuant to\nsection 10,\nand the surplus, if any, shall, upon application being made by the\nguest within one month after the date of the sale, be paid to that\nguest.\n(2) If no application is received under subsection (1) within the\nspecified time for the surplus proceeds of a sale the\naccommodation provider shall pay the surplus to the Public Trustee\nas unclaimed moneys.\n12 Regulations\nThe Administrator may make regulations, not inconsistent with this\nAct, prescribing matters:\n(a) required or permitted by this Act to be prescribed; or\n(b) necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or\ngiving effect to this Act.\n13 Transitional matters for Justice and Licensing Legislation\nAmendment Act 2022\n(1) A notice in accordance with the Schedule as in force immediately\nbefore the commencement, displayed in accordance with\nsection 6(2), is taken to be the notice set out in the Schedule as in\nforce after the commencement.\n(2) In this section:\ncommencement means the commencement of Part 2 of the\nJustice and Licensing Legislation Amendment Act 2022.\n\nSchedule\nAccommodation Providers Act 1981 6\nSchedule\nNORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\nACCOMMODATION PROVIDERS ACT 1981\nsection 6(2)\nNOTICE\nLOSS OF OR DAMAGE TO GUEST'S PROPERTY\nUnder the Accommodation Providers Act 1981, an accommodation provider of\nan accommodation establishment may, in certain circumstances, be liable to\nmake good any loss of or damage to a guest's property even though it was\nnot due to any fault of the accommodation provider or any servant in his\nemploy.\nThis liability, however:\n(a) extends only to the property of guests who have engaged a room for\nsleeping;\n(b) is limited to the amount determined in accordance with section 6(1) of\nthe Act to any one guest except in the case of property which has been\ndeposited, or offered for deposit, for safekeeping; and\n(c) does not cover motor vehicles or other vehicles of any kind or property\nused in connection with a vehicle.\n\nENDNOTES\nAccommodation Providers Act 1981 7\nENDNOTES\n1 KEY\nKey to abbreviations\namd = amended od = order\napp = appendix om = omitted\nbl = by-law pt = Part\nch = Chapter r = regulation/rule\ncl = clause rem = remainder\ndiv = Division renum = renumbered\nexp = expires/expired rep = repealed\nf = forms s = section\nGaz = Gazette sch = Schedule\nhdg = heading sdiv = Subdivision\nins = inserted SL = Subordinate Legislation\nlt = long title sub = substituted\nnc = not commenced\n2 LIST OF LEGISLATION\nHotel-keepers Act 1981 (Act No. 58, 1981)\nAssent date 14 July 1981\nCommenced 11 December 1981 (Gaz G49, 11 December 1981, p 2)\nHotel-keepers Amendment Act 2002 (Act No. 36, 2002)\nAssent date 13 September 2002\nCommenced 16 October 2002 (Gaz G41, 16 October 2002, p 3)\nLiquor Act 2019 (Act No. 29, 2019)\nAssent date 3 September 2019\nCommenced 1 October 2019 (Gaz G39, 25 September 2019, p 2)\nJustice and Licensing Legislation Amendment Act 2022 (Act No. 6, 2022)\nAssent date 14 April 2022\nCommenced pt 6: 1 May 2022; rem: 1 July 2022 (Gaz S17, 27 April 2022)\n3 GENERAL AMENDMENTS\nGeneral amendments of a formal nature (which are not referred to in the table\nof amendments to this reprint) are made by the Interpretation Legislation\nAmendment Act 2018 (Act No. 22, 2018) to: ss 1 and 3 and sch.\n4 LIST OF AMENDMENTS\nlt amd No. 36, 2002, s 4\ns 1 amd No. 36, 2002, s 5\ns 3 amd No. 36, 2002, s 6; No. 29, 2019, s 336\ns 4 amd No. 36, 2002, s 7\ns 5 amd No. 36, 2002, s 10\ns 6 amd No. 36, 2002, s 8; No. 6, 2022, s 4\nss 7 – 11 amd No. 36, 2002, s 10\ns 12 ins No. 36, 2002, s 9\n\nENDNOTES\nAccommodation Providers Act 1981 8\ns 13 ins No. 6, 2022, s 5\nsch amd No. 36, 2002, s 10; No. 6, 2022, s 6","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act retains its original, narrow purpose of regulating accommodation providers' liabilities and rights with respect to guests' property. Amendments and inserts since enactment (notably power to prescribe facilities and to vary the monetary cap by regulation, and transitional clauses) update and clarify scope but do not expand the statute significantly beyond that core purpose. Changes are mainly regulatory flexibility and procedural updates (see s 3(1A), s 6(1A), s 12, and s 13) rather than a broad extension of subject-matter."},"complexity_factors":["Short Act with 13 substantive sections plus Schedule","3 defined key terms in s 3 (accommodation establishment, accommodation provider, vehicle) and a Regulations catch-all (s 3(1A))","Conditional liability cap tied to conspicuous notice (s 6(1)–(2)) creating a compliance-triggered rule","Three statutory exceptions to the cap (s 6(3)) and two separate defences (s 8) — nested conditions","Separate treatment and explicit exclusion for vehicles with corollary lien prohibition (s 7)","Statutory lien and sale procedure with fixed timings and multi-channel notice requirements (ss 9–11)","Regulations can change core parameters (types of facility and the monetary amount) — cross-reference to subordinate legislation (s 12, s 6(1A), s 3(1A))","Transitional provision tied to a named amendment but limited in scope (s 13)"],"plain_english_summary":"This law replaces the old innkeeper rules with a statutory scheme that makes accommodation providers liable for guests’ property but allows a notice-dependent monetary cap on that liability, excludes vehicles, and gives providers a statutory lien and public‑sale process for unpaid charges. It shifts risk toward guests (unless safekeeping is used or provider fault is shown) and lets the Administrator adjust which facilities and the cap by regulation."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains focused on its original purpose: regulating the liabilities and rights of accommodation providers regarding guest property. The 2002 amendments modernised language (changing 'innkeeper'/'hotel-keeper' to 'accommodation provider') and expanded definitions to cover boarding houses and similar establishments. The 2022 amendment was minor—updating the Schedule notice and adding a transitional provision. The scope has not expanded beyond the core commercial accommodation sector."},"complexity_factors":["Short statute (13 sections plus Schedule)","Only 2 defined terms in the interpretation section ('accommodation establishment' and 'accommodation provider'), though 'accommodation establishment' has a detailed 3-paragraph definition with inclusions and exclusions","Simple conditional structure: liability exists (s5), then restricted (s6), with 3 specific exceptions to the restriction (s6(3))","Cross-references are minimal and linear (e.g., 'Subject to sections 6, 7 and 8')","One transitional provision (s13) dealing with notice display changes from 2022 amendments","No nested exceptions beyond the single layer in s6(3)","Clear separation of topics: liability, vehicles, defences, liens, sale procedures"],"plain_english_summary":"This Northern Territory law sets the rules for what happens when a guest's belongings are lost, stolen, or damaged while staying at a hotel, motel, boarding house, or similar accommodation.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Limits how much accommodation providers must pay** if a guest's property is lost or damaged. The default cap is 750 \"monetary units\" (a standard way of calculating fines/liabilities in NT law), though regulations can change this amount.\n- **Requires notice**: Providers must display a specific warning notice in guest rooms and at reception for this liability limit to apply.\n- **Excludes vehicles**: Accommodation providers are **not** liable for cars, caravans, horses, or anything left inside them.\n- **Creates exceptions to the cap**: The limit doesn't apply if the provider (or their staff) was negligent, if the guest deposited the item for safekeeping, or if the provider refused to accept an item for safekeeping.\n- **Gives providers a \"lien\"** (legal right to hold property) over guests' belongings until bills are paid, and allows sale by auction after 28 days of non-payment—with specific advertising and notice requirements.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Guests** staying at hotels, inns, boarding houses, guest houses, and similar commercial accommodation (but not caravan parks or camping unless specifically prescribed).\n- **Accommodation providers** operating these businesses in the Northern Territory.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis law replaced old-fashioned \"innkeeper\" laws that made hotel owners strictly liable for guests' property. It strikes a balance: guests get some protection for their belongings, but providers aren't exposed to unlimited liability—provided they display the required notices and aren't negligent. It also gives providers a clear legal process for dealing with guests who skip out without paying."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/accommodation-providers-act-1981","history":"/api/acts/accommodation-providers-act-1981/history","analysis":"/api/acts/accommodation-providers-act-1981/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/accommodation-providers-act-1981/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/accommodation-providers-act-1981/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/accommodation-providers-act-1981/documents"}}