The agent wants to keep part of my bond. How do I dispute it?
How a bond claim works in each state, the time limit to dispute it, the evidence the agent must give you and where to go if they won't back down.
AI-assisted research and reviewed for accuracy. Something out of date? Let us know.
Yes. A landlord or agent can only claim the bond for costs such as damage beyond fair wear and tear, and they must back the claim with evidence. In most states the clock is short: 14 days from the notice in NSW, Queensland, WA and the ACT. If you can't agree, a state dispute service, commissioner or tribunal decides how the bond is paid.
Already tried and got nowhere?
That's where we start. Our team takes it from here.
Can you dispute a bond claim you don't agree with?
Yes. A bond claim is the agent's request for part of your bond, not a decision. A landlord or agent can claim for things like unpaid rent, cleaning or damage, but not for fair wear and tear, which is the normal ageing of a home that's been lived in.
The NSW Government lists damage "beyond fair wear and tear" as a reason to claim. The NT Government says it is the landlord's responsibility to prove any claim against the bond.
The deadline is what matters most. Each state runs bonds differently, and in most of them doing nothing lets the claim go through. Find your state below.
| State | When the agent claims | Your step and time limit | If you do nothing |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | You get a Notice of Claim by email and SMS with a 14-day notice period | Apply to NCAT and log in to Rental Bonds Online before the "due for payment" date to freeze the bond | You can still apply to NCAT within 6 months of the payout |
| Victoria | The agent can only lodge a claim with the RTBA if you agree on the split | If you don't agree, you can claim the bond yourself. Either side can apply to Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria (RDRV) | If you claimed and the agent doesn't apply within 14 days, the RTBA pays you |
| Queensland | The RTA holds the disputed amount and sends a Notice of claim | Send the RTA a Dispute resolution request (Form 16) within 14 days | The bond is paid as the first request directed |
| SA | The agent must give Consumer and Business Services (CBS) evidence for the claim | Accept, make a counter-offer or take it to SACAT by the date on the notice | CBS assesses the agent's evidence and can release the amount |
| WA | Bonds Administration sends you a notice of the bond release application | Dispute it within 14 days | The Commissioner for Consumer Protection decides how the bond is paid |
| ACT | You get a Bond Refund Notice | Tell ACT Rental Bonds in writing within 14 days that you dispute it | A disputed refund is referred to ACAT |
| Tasmania | MyBond notifies you of the claim | Dispute it in MyBond, then give your evidence within 10 working days | The Residential Tenancy Commissioner decides |
| NT | The landlord holds the bond and must give you notice of a claim within 7 business days of you moving out | Tell the landlord in writing, then apply to NTCAT if it isn't resolved | If no notice comes within 7 business days, the whole bond must be returned |
In NSW the landlord or agent must give you the exit condition report and the quotes, invoices or receipts within 7 days of claiming without your agreement. NSW Fair Trading says not doing so can lead to penalties.
In Victoria the evidence must reach you at least 3 business days before the agent lodges a claim. Consumer Affairs Victoria says it "must not contradict the condition report".
In Queensland the evidence must reach you within 14 days of the claim. The RTA says not giving it is an offence.
In the NT a landlord can keep bond money for damage or cleaning only if you got a signed condition report within 3 business days of moving in, and the claim must come with receipts and a statutory declaration.
What should you do first?
Note your deadline before anything else. Then, if you've only talked to the agent on the phone, put your objection in writing.
Step 1: Gather your evidence
Keep your lease, the entry and exit condition reports, dated photos from moving in and out, your bond number and every email or letter about the claim. Ask the agent in writing for any quotes or invoices they haven't sent.
Step 2: Write to the agent
Email gives you a written record and a date. Ajust's recommended channel is whichever one gives you a written record and a reference number, which for an agency is usually email to your property manager.
Subject: Bond claim for [property address]
Hello,
I moved out of [property address] on [date]. You have claimed $[amount] from my bond for [cleaning / carpet / repairs].
I don't agree with this claim. [One or two lines on why, for example: the marks were there at the start and are shown in the entry condition report.] My photos are attached.
Please withdraw the claim or reduce it to $[amount], and reply in writing within 7 days.
Regards,
[Your name]
Step 3: Go to the principal, then your state's dispute step
If the property manager won't move, write to the agency's principal, the licensee in charge. Don't let that conversation run past your deadline: lodge your state's dispute step on time even if talks are still going.
Already done all this and still being told the claim stands? Here's what happens next.
What if the agent still won't back down?
Each route below can help, but each one stops somewhere.
| Where | What it does | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|
| The agent or landlord | Can withdraw or reduce the claim | It's the person asking for the money deciding about its own claim |
| The agency's principal | Can overrule the property manager | It's still the agency deciding |
| Free tenant advice service (Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services in NSW on 1800 251 101, Tenants Victoria, Tenants Queensland and the services in other states) | Advice on your claim. The NSW Government says the NSW services give assistance and advocacy | They advise and support you. They don't decide the claim |
| State dispute service (RTA dispute resolution in Queensland, RDRV in Victoria, the WA Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Tasmania's Residential Tenancy Commissioner) | The RTA runs free conciliation. RDRV asks the agent for evidence and tries to reach agreement. The WA and Tasmanian commissioners decide how the bond is paid | The RTA says its conciliators don't decide who is right or wrong, and taking part is voluntary. NSW Fair Trading's tenancy complaint service doesn't offer dispute resolution for bond claims. A WA decision can be appealed to the Magistrates Court within 7 days. In Tasmania a decision can sometimes take more than 90 days |
| Tribunal (NCAT, VCAT, QCAT, SACAT, ACAT, NTCAT) | Hears both sides and orders how the bond is paid | You prepare and present the case yourself, and fees apply: NCAT charges $64 for a residential tenancy application, or $16 for eligible pensioners. In Queensland a bond dispute goes through RTA conciliation first, and an unresolved dispute is referred to QCAT |
NCAT encourages people to run their own case, and a tenancy case isn't one where you have an automatic right to a lawyer or other representative, so you need NCAT's permission. Anyone can get legal advice to prepare without it, and the free tenant advice services above are the usual first stop.
Can someone take this on for you?
Yes, if you rent from a private landlord or agent.
Our team writes to the agent or landlord with the facts from your lease and condition reports, asks for a reply within 7 days, and takes it to the agency's principal if they still refuse. If it isn't resolved, we prepare your answers for your state's free dispute service, where there is one, and we tell you the deadline on a bond claim or rent increase and what has to be lodged before it. We don't prepare or lodge tribunal applications, and we can't take on evictions or a matter a tribunal is already handling.
No win, no fee. We'll tell you straight if we don't think we can win it.
What doesn't work
- Waiting for the agent to reply before acting. Your state's time limit keeps running while you negotiate.
- Approving the claim to keep the peace. Once you agree in the bond system, the money can be paid out that day or soon after.
- Arguing only on the phone. A dispute service or tribunal will want to see what you objected to, and when.
- Relying on memory of the property. The entry condition report and dated photos are what show a mark was already there.
- Paying the claim out of your own pocket to get the rest back. Ask for the undisputed part to be released instead. In Queensland and the ACT the undisputed amount is paid out while the rest is in dispute.
Common questions
Should I sign the bond claim form?
Not if you disagree with the amounts. ACT Rental Bonds says you shouldn't sign a Bond Refund Form before the refund amounts are entered. In states with an online system, approving the claim there is how you agree to it. If you don't agree, dispute it instead, before the date on the notice.
The agent won't reply and I've moved out. How do I get my bond back?
In most states you can start the claim yourself. In NSW either side can claim once the tenancy has ended and the bond shows as held in Rental Bonds Online. In Victoria and SA a renter can claim without the agent's agreement, and if the agent doesn't respond within 14 days, the bond is paid as claimed.
The bond has already been paid to the agent. Is it too late?
Not always. In NSW you can apply to NCAT within 6 months of the payout, and a landlord has the same time limit. Other states set their own limits, so check with your state's free tenant advice service as soon as you find out the money has gone.
Can the agent claim more than the bond?
Yes, a landlord can claim compensation above the bond, but it has to be proved. In Queensland the RTA deals with the bond and the amount above it in one dispute process when the bond is still held. If conciliation fails, the RTA issues a Notice of unresolved dispute, which is a referral to QCAT.
- NSW Government: Dealing with bond disputes for tenants
- NSW Government: Resolving residential tenancy disputes
- NCAT: Fees at NCAT
- NCAT: Representation
- Consumer Affairs Victoria: Resolving bond issues and disputes
- Residential Tenancies Authority (Qld): Bond refunds
- Residential Tenancies Authority (Qld): Dispute resolution service
- Consumer and Business Services SA: Settling a bond dispute
- Consumer Protection WA: Security bond release applications
- ACT Revenue Office: Bond refunds for tenants
- Consumer Affairs Tasmania: Disputing a rental bond claim
- NT Government: Common tenancy disputes
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