Introduction
As a landlord or managing agent you can submit a claim for a bond refund using your Rental Bonds Online (RBO) account if you believe the tenant owes money for a legitimate reason such as:
- unpaid rent
- unpaid water usage charges, if you requested payment within three months of receiving the bill
- 'break fee' or related charges if the tenant does not have a reason for breaking a fixed-term agreement early without penalty
- the reasonable cost of:
- property repairs beyond fair wear and tear
- cleaning if the property has not been left reasonably clean, considering the property condition at the start of the tenancy, and
- replacing locks or security devices if the tenant has not returned all keys and security devices.
Note: Before you submit a claim, discuss any deductions first with your tenant. This may help avoid a dispute about a bond claim later, and may result in the tenant agreeing to the claim.
What you need
- your Rental Bonds Online (RBO) login ID and password
- the amount to be deducted from the bond.
How to lodge
- Select the 'Lodge online' button.
- Log in to your RBO account.
- Access the bond details.
- Select 'Submit a claim'.
- Follow the online instructions.
Paper form
You can submit the claim using the PDF form if:
- your tenant does not have an RBO account
- the bond was not lodged using RBO.
You will need:
- the rental bond number
- name(s) of the tenant(s)
- bank account details to deposit the funds.
What happens next
If a tenant does not owe you money at the end of their tenancy and there is no damage to the property, you should refund the bond paid at the beginning of the tenancy to the tenant in full.
If you lodge a claim before your tenant
If NSW Fair Trading receives your claim before receiving a claim from your tenant, Fair Trading will email the tenant a 14-day Notice of Claim. The tenant can then log on to RBO, view the claim details, and if in agreement, confirm the bond be refunded to you.
If the tenant is not in agreement with the claim, they'll need to inform Fair Trading within 14 days that they've applied to NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) for a hearing to dispute the amount.
If your tenant lodges a claim before you
If the tenant’s claim for refund of the bond is received by Fair Trading before you make a claim, Fair Trading will email a Notice of Claim to you. You can then do one of the following:
- agree to the claim
- discuss the claim with the tenant and come to an agreement
- within 14 days, inform Fair Trading that you've applied to NCAT for a hearing to dispute the claim
- take no action, and after 14 days the bond will be refunded as per the tenant’s claim.