Unhappy with a tenant and her children, Sharon Lee Coghlan set fire to the house in an attempt to remove them.
Before igniting paint thinner in the hallway, Coghlan threatened to "burn the f***ing thing to the ground" to get the woman and her kids out of the residence north of Brisbane.
After weeks of growing animosity, the tenant left her three children at the Narangba property with Coghlan following an argument in August 2021.
The next morning Coghlan accused the children of disrespecting her and threatened to send them to Child Safety unless the tenant picked them up.
When she arrived soon afterwards, another argument erupted that became physical and Coghlan and the tenant had to be separated.
Coghlan yelled that she was going to "burn the f***ing thing to the ground and that none of you will have anywhere to live", crown prosecutor Jane Shaw told Brisbane District Court on Tuesday.
Coghlan grabbed a tin of paint thinner and poured it on the floor before igniting it.
Fire quickly engulfed the walls with thick black smoke billowing out of the house.
Everyone but Coghlan left the home before the blaze was extinguished with a garden hose.
"The offending was driven by anger and malice," Ms Shaw said.
"It is fortunate that it did not take hold and cause much more significant damage."
The repair bill for the rental property exceeded $50,000.
Coghlan told police she wanted to burn down the house to get the tenant and her children out after growing arguments in the weeks leading up to the incident.
"You didn't like them living there," Judge Paul Smith noted.
Coghlan wasn't intoxicated at the time but had a history of trauma, psychiatric difficulties and self-medicating with drugs, the court heard.
She had an extensive criminal history.
Since 2003 Coghlan had convictions for numerous property, dishonesty, drug and weapons offences along with breaches of court orders.
In 2013 Coghlan threw a bottle of beer through a neighbour's window when they complained about her loud music, the court heard.
In another incident in 2018, Coghlan went to a home and smashed two windows with a broom before returning an hour later and driving her car into a parked vehicle, pushing it into a garage door.
She breached a suspended six-month jail term with the August 2021 offence.
"There's anger management issues here ... she can't control herself," Judge Smith said.
Coghlan, 50, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted arson.
She was sentenced to two years in jail, to be released on parole in February 2023.
