Rental Bonds Online for self-managing landlords
Landlords must be registered with Rental Bonds Online and offer it as the first option for tenants to lodge their bonds. Paper forms are also available.
Log in to Rental Bonds Online
Rental Bonds Online is a fast and convenient way to:
- lodge, view and claim rental bonds online without having to send cheques and paper forms
- receive email and SMS phone notifications confirming what is happening to a rental bond
- view notifications and key tasks that require action within Rental Bonds Online.
Landlords must be registered with Rental Bonds Online and offer the service to new tenants as the first option to lodge their residential bonds. Landlords can support tenants to use the system by directing them to our Rental Bonds Online for tenants information.
Signing up for Rental Bonds Online
- Download and complete the Rental Bonds Online - Landlord/ Owner Proof of Identity and Registration Form
- Visit any Service NSW Centre with the completed form and the required original proof of identity documents. Locate your nearest Service NSW centre on the Service NSW website or call 13 77 88, or
- email rboregistration@customerservice.nsw.gov.au your completed form with a certified copy of the required proof of identity documents (as outlined in the form), endorsed as a true copy by a Justice of the Peace
Once NSW Fair Trading has verified your proof of identification documents with your completed form, you will receive emails with your new Landlord Code and instructions to activate your Rental Bonds Online account.
How to lodge a bond online
Confirm the tenant is happy to use Rental Bonds Online
Make sure your tenant has:
- internet access
- a mobile phone
- an email address
- an accepted payment method for paying their bond through Rental Bonds Online:
- For residential tenancy bonds: BPay, Visa or MasterCard are accepted
- For retail bonds: Only BPay is accepted.
Enter tenancy and bond details into Rental Bonds Online
To finalise the bond and allocate a new bond number, you need to log into Rental Bonds Online and complete the "finalise the bond" task on your homepage.
Tenant creates a user account and pays the bond directly to NSW Fair Trading
If your tenant is unfamiliar with Rental Bonds Online, direct them to Rental Bonds Online for tenants.
Once the tenant pays the bond, you will receive a notification from Rental Bonds Online that the bond has been paid.
Arrange for the tenant to sign the tenancy agreement
Once you've received the notification that the bond has been paid, arrange for the tenant to sign the tenancy agreement.
Finalise the bond in Rental Bonds Online
To finalise the bond and allocate a new bond number, you need to log into Rental Bonds Online and complete the "finalise the bond" task on your homepage.
Rental Bonds Online allocates the Rental Bond Number
Once you finalise the bond, Rental Bonds Online will then allocate the Rental Bond Number and notify you and the tenant.
Release a bond or claim a bond refund through Rental Bonds Online
Before you submit a refund claim
Before you submit a refund 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.
Submit your claim in Rental Bonds Online
If you (as the landlord) are starting the claim, you first need to enter the amount to deduct from the bond. This will be zero if you are releasing the full bond to the tenant.
When you submit a claim for refund of the bond in Rental Bonds Online, the principal tenant will receive:
- a 14-day Notice of Claim by email
- a phone notification by SMS.
Copies will also go to any other tenants.
If you do not have the tenant's consent for the bond claim
If the bond claim is not made with the tenant's consent, you (as the landlord) will need to give certain information to the tenant within 7 days of making your claim.
This information includes:
- copies of the condition report completed at the end of the tenancy, and
- any estimates, quotes, invoices or receipts for work being claimed from the bond.
Note: Claims without the tenant's consent can only be made after a tenancy has ended. A bond claim can only be made by a landlord or agent during a tenancy with the consent of all tenants, or if the landlord is directing that the bond be paid to all tenants.
The tenant views the claim and agrees
The principal tenant can then log in to Rental Bonds Online and view the claim details. If the tenant agrees to the claim, they can agree to the refund of the bond in Rental Bonds Online.
The bond goes into the nominated bank account(s)
When tenants first register for Rental Bonds Online, they enter the details for the bank account where they would like any bond refund owed to them deposited.
All refund payments for:
- landlords
- principal tenants
registered in Rental Bonds Online will be by direct deposit to their bank accounts. It is important that you keep bank account and contact details entered in Rental Bonds Online up-to-date.
If you claim all or part of the bond refund and the tenant does not agree
If they do not agree with the claim, Rental Bonds Online encourages the tenant to discuss this with you.
If you and the tenant cannot agree, the tenant can opt to dispute the claim.
What to do if a tenant lodges a bond refund request through Rental Bonds Online
Principal tenants can also submit a claim using Rental Bonds Online. Rental Bonds Online encourages the tenant to discuss their claim with their agent or landlord before submitting it online.
You'll receive a Notice of Claim
NSW Fair Trading will issue a Notice of Claim to you by email and SMS with a 14-day Notice period to respond.
Agree to the refund or dispute the claim in Rental Bonds Online
In Rental Bonds Online, you can either:
- agree to the refund
- dispute the tenant's claim by:
- for a residential bond, telling us that you have lodged an application for a hearing with the Tribunal, or
- for retail bonds, apply to begin mediation with the Small Business Commission
or take no action and NSW Fair Trading will refund the tenant's claim after the Notice period expires.
If you agree to a different deduction
If you and the tenant agree to a different deduction amount during the Notice period:
- both you and your tenant will need to log into Rental Bonds Online separately and submit an online enquiry on the bond. In the description box, enter the new claim amount.
- when your matching online enquiries are processed, the newly agreed claim amount will be paid out.
If matching enquiries are not received within the 14-day notice period, the bond will be paid out per the first claim received.
Viewing a bond in Rental Bonds Online if the tenant lodged the bond on paper
You can find bonds tenants lodged on paper in Rental Bonds Online. When you log in, you will see all your existing bonds linked to your Rental Bonds Landlord Code.
If they are not visible in Rental Bonds Online, they may not have been updated with your Landlord Code - contact Rental Bonds if this applies. These bonds will appear as 'paper type' bonds.
How landlords can claim refunds from bonds lodged on paper
Landlords cannot claim paper bonds online in Rental Bonds Online.
Instead, you can download and print a Claim for Refund of Bond Money form, which can then be posted or emailed to Rental Bonds.
Contact Rental Bonds
Rental Bonds Online is a secure digital service to lodge, manage and refund rental bonds held by NSW Fair Trading.
Postal address: Rental Bonds, Locked Bag 9000, Grafton NSW 2460
Getting help inside Rental Bonds Online
Find the Rental Bonds Online Help section in the top right corner of your screen when you are logged in. If you need more help, you can contact Rental Bonds Online Security and Support.