How to Get Your Bond Back in Full

Most bond disputes are not won at the end of a tenancy. They are won on the day you moved in, by the person who took photos.

Where your bond actually sits

In every Australian state and territory, bonds for formal residential tenancies should be lodged with the relevant state authority rather than held personally by the landlord or agent. That body holds the money and is involved in releasing it.

If you are subletting informally from a head tenant, your arrangement may sit outside that system entirely, which makes written records considerably more important. Confirm at the start who is holding your money and under what arrangement.

Rules vary by state, so check the authority where you live. Fair Trading in NSW, Consumer Affairs in Victoria, the RTA in Queensland, Consumer and Business Services in SA, and the equivalent bodies elsewhere all publish free guidance.

What gets deducted

Landlords can generally claim for:

Unpaid rent
Damage beyond fair wear and tear
Cleaning where the property was left below the standard it was received in
Items missing from the property
Rubbish removal

They generally cannot claim for fair wear and tear, which is the ordinary deterioration expected from normal use over time. Carpet flattening in a hallway is wear and tear. A wine stain is damage. Paint fading is wear and tear. A hole from a shelf bracket is damage.

The line between the two is the single most common point of dispute, and evidence is what decides it.

Day one: the part that wins disputes

Complete the condition report carefully. Do not rush it, and do not accept the agent’s version without checking. Note every mark, scuff, chip and stain, however small. If there is a section for comments, use it.

Photograph everything. Every room, every wall, the floors, the appliances, inside the oven, the shower screen, window tracks. Wide shots for context and close ups for specific damage. Timestamped photos cost nothing and are the most persuasive evidence available.

Photograph the meters if you are responsible for utilities.

Keep a copy of the completed condition report somewhere that is not only your email inbox from three years ago.

This takes about an hour once. It is the highest value hour of the entire tenancy.

During the tenancy

Report maintenance in writing. A leaking tap reported in writing and not fixed is the landlord’s problem. The same leak, never reported, that damages a cabinet becomes an argument about who was responsible.

Keep the written record. Emails or in app messages, not phone calls.

Fix small things properly. Filling a picture hook hole yourself is straightforward. Leaving twelve of them is a cleaning claim.

Moving out

Clean to the standard in the condition report, not to your own standard. Compare against the photos you took on day one.

The commonly missed items: oven and grill, rangehood filter, inside cupboards, window tracks, skirting boards, light fittings, exhaust fans, the inside of the dishwasher and washing machine seals, and the shower screen.

Steam clean carpets if your agreement requires it and keep the receipt. Some agreements require it only if pets were kept.

Take exit photos in the same order and framing as your entry photos. Side by side comparisons are extremely effective.

Attend the final inspection if you can. Being present lets you address concerns immediately rather than by email a week later.

Return every key, including window keys, mailbox keys and remotes. Missing keys are a routine deduction because they can trigger a lock change.

If there is a dispute

Ask for the claim in writing with an itemised breakdown, including quotes or invoices. A general assertion that cleaning was required is not a substantiated claim.

Respond in writing with your evidence: entry condition report, entry photos, exit photos, receipts. If it cannot be resolved, each state has a tribunal or dispute process, and applying is generally inexpensive.

Do not agree to a deduction you believe is wrong just to make it end quickly. If you have the photos, you are usually in a stronger position than you think.

In a share house, the bond is often paid by whoever lived there first, and reimbursed between housemates as people come and go. Two years and four housemates later, nobody can reconstruct who contributed what.

Record bond contributions from the beginning: who paid how much, and what happens to their share when they leave. Our guide on what to include in a share house agreement covers how to set that out, and there is more detail in splitting the bond when someone moves out.