The rental bond is one of the most important financial aspects of a tenancy for both rental providers and renters. Understanding the rules around bond collection, lodgement, and claims is essential for staying compliant and avoiding disputes. This guide covers the key rules in each state and how to manage bonds effectively.
Bond Limits by State
Every state and territory in Australia sets a maximum bond amount that rental providers can charge. In most cases, the limit is tied to the weekly rent.
- New South Wales: The bond must not be more than 4 weeks' rent, whatever the rent.
- Victoria: In most cases, no more than one month's rent. A higher bond is allowed only where the weekly rent is more than $900 or VCAT has set a higher bond for the property, and there is no maximum in those cases.
- Queensland: Maximum 4 weeks' rent for general tenancies. The maximum applies to all bonds together, whatever they are called (for example, a "pet bond").
- South Australia: Up to 4 weeks' rent where the weekly rent is $800 or less, and up to 6 weeks' rent where the weekly rent is more than $800.
- Western Australia: Up to 4 weeks' rent, with no limit where the rent is over $1,200 a week. A separate pet bond of up to $350 (for fumigation and pet-related damage) can be charged if the renter is allowed to keep a pet.
- Tasmania: No more than 4 weeks' rent, and the bond cannot be increased during the tenancy. Pet bonds are not allowed.
- ACT: Up to a maximum of 4 weeks' rent.
- Northern Territory: Up to a maximum of 4 weeks' rent.
Where Bonds Must Be Lodged
In every state except the Northern Territory, the bond is lodged with a central government authority, and the rental provider (or their agent) lodges it within a set time. The NT has no central bond authority - the bond is held in trust by the landlord or agent instead (see below).
- NSW: NSW Fair Trading (Rental Bonds Online). A landlord must lodge the bond within 10 working days after it is paid; an agent within 10 working days after the end of the month in which it is paid.
- Victoria: Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA). The rental provider must lodge the bond within 14 days of receiving it. A renter can also pay the bond directly to the RTBA.
- Queensland: Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA). The bond must be receipted and lodged within 10 days.
- South Australia: Consumer and Business Services (CBS), through Residential Bonds Online. A landlord must lodge the bond within 2 weeks of receiving it; registered agents have 4 weeks. A renter can also lodge the bond directly.
- Western Australia: Bonds Administration, part of Consumer Protection in the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety. The bond must be lodged within 14 days of being paid.
- Tasmania: Rental Deposit Authority, through MyBond. The owner or agent completes the lodgement in MyBond and the renter pays the bond to the Rental Deposit Authority; an owner must not receive the bond from the renter. An agent who is paid a bond directly must lodge it within 10 working days.
- ACT: Rental Bonds Office, ACT Revenue Office. A lessor must lodge the bond within two weeks of receiving it or of the tenancy starting; an agency within four weeks.
- NT: No central bond authority. A real estate agent places the bond in a tenancy trust account, and a private landlord must hold it in trust. The landlord must issue a receipt immediately for a payment by cash, cheque or card, or within 2 business days of receiving a bank transfer. There is no lodgement step and no bond number.
Lodging late can be an offence: in Queensland, for example, the RTA says it is an offence not to receipt and lodge the bond within 10 days.
Claiming from the Bond at End of Tenancy
At the end of a tenancy, the bond is returned to the renter unless the rental provider has a claim on it. In Victoria, for example, Consumer Affairs Victoria says a rental provider might claim because the renter damaged the property, owes rent or charges, has not left the property reasonably clean, is missing items (for example, locks), or made certain changes to the property without asking. In the Northern Territory, the bond must be returned in full unless the landlord has claims for unpaid rent, cleaning, repair costs or a lease break.
Rental providers cannot claim bond for fair wear and tear, which Consumer Affairs Victoria describes as deterioration because of reasonable use of the property or natural environmental forces. Its examples: faded curtains or worn kitchen bench tops are fair wear and tear, while ripped curtains or broken bench tops might be considered damage. The condition report records the condition of the property at the start of the tenancy and is used to compare it with the condition at the end, and photos taken at the start can help identify any damage.
Each authority has its own claim process: in NSW, for example, claims are made through Rental Bonds Online (or on a paper Claim for Bond Refund form), and in Victoria a bond claim tells the RTBA how the bond should be repaid. If the parties do not agree on the claim, the dispute goes to the body that decides bond disputes in your state or territory (see below).
Dispute Resolution for Bond Claims
If the rental provider and renter cannot agree on how the bond is paid out, the body that decides bond disputes differs by state and territory:
- NSW: apply to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) and notify NSW Rental Bonds before the "due for payment" date.
- Victoria: either party can apply to Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria (RDRV) or the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), and the RTBA pays the bond out in line with the order.
- Queensland: a bond dispute goes through the RTA's dispute resolution service first. If it is not resolved, the RTA issues a Notice of unresolved dispute. To take the dispute further, you must apply to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) within 7 days after that notice was issued, and notify the RTA in writing within the same 7 days that you have applied (QCAT asks for a copy of its receipt to be given to the RTA). If you do not, the bond is paid to the first party who lodged a claim on it.
- Western Australia: the Commissioner for Consumer Protection can decide most bond disputes without going to court.
- Tasmania: the Residential Tenancy Commissioner decides bond disputes, with an appeal to the Magistrates Court within 7 days.
- Northern Territory: a landlord who wants to keep any of the bond must give the renter notice within seven business days of the renter leaving, with receipts, invoices and a statutory declaration, and return the balance not claimed. If the dispute is not resolved, either party can refer it to the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT).
Each tribunal has its own application fee; our guide to dealing with renter disputes lists the published fees. Whichever body decides, keep the entry and exit condition reports, photographs, receipts and correspondence ready as your evidence.
Bonds and Everfolio
You lodge the bond with the state or territory bond authority yourself, using the authority's own process (in the Northern Territory, you hold the bond in trust and give the renter a receipt). Everfolio never holds, lodges, collects or returns bond money. At the end of the tenancy, the bond is claimed and refunded through the authority's own process (in the Northern Territory, the landlord or agent who holds the bond returns it to the renter directly, and a bond not claimed within six months is transferred to the Tenancy Trust account managed by the Commissioner of Tenancies).
What Everfolio does is keep the record. You add the bond number the authority issues to the tenancy, so it sits alongside the lease. Everfolio's AI-powered inspection feature creates detailed photographic condition reports at move-in and move-out, giving you the evidence you need to support any bond claim. The system automatically compares entry and exit photos, flagging damage and providing condition scores that can be used as evidence in a dispute.