What do you need to do?
- paid your rent to and including end of your notice period or your moving date if breaking lease early.
- cleaned your rental property to match its original condition.
- removed all your personal things.
- repaired any damage that was beyond ‘fair wear and tear’.
- signed off on the condition report with your landlord.
- returned all keys and other items given to you for the property when you moved in.
Now you can claim your refund using Rental Bonds Online. Your landlord or agent has up to 14 days to accept your claim.
Additional information about getting bond back if:
The principal tenant who acts on behalf of all co-tenants for the shared rental should
- submit or respond to a claim for refund of bond money using Rental Bonds Online on behalf of all the tenants at the end of the tenancy.
- distribute the bond refund to the other tenants.
Log in to Rental Bonds Online if you are the principal tenant and need to claim the bond.
If a co-tenant moves out of a shared tenancy and requests their bond refund, the remaining tenant/s must pay back their bond – less any rent owed or other reasonable costs – within 14 days of the request.
Download a change of shared tenancy request form.
This does not apply if:
- the former co-tenant’s debts exceed the amount of bond money they paid, or
- the former co-tenant has been excluded from the premises by a final apprehended violence order.
If you have repaid your Rentstart bond loan in full before the end of your tenancy, you can claim your bond back at the end of your tenancy.
If your tenancy ends before you have repaid the Rentstart bond loan in full:
- any funds still owed to the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) will be returned to them from the bond, and
- any amounts you have repaid will be returned directly to you, less any amount still owed to the agent or landlord.
If a claim is made against the bond that you do not agree with, you can still challenge this claim regardless of whether the loan has been repaid in full.
You can only claim a bond refund before the end of a tenancy if:
you have a written agreement from your landlord or agent to submit an earlier claim, or
you are directing the full bond to go to your landlord or property agent.
There are very specific legal reasons to end a tenancy early. Otherwise, you could breach the terms of your tenancy agreement.
Get more information about ending a tenancy and minimum notice periods that apply.
If you don't have a Rental Bonds Online account, you can fill in a ‘Claim for Bond Refund’ paper form from NSW Fair Trading.
- Download the Claim for Bond Refund form.
- Sign the completed form with the landlord or agent.
- Return the form to NSW Fair Trading by
- post (address on form)
- email bondclaims@customerservice.nsw.gov.au
- or in person (details of where to lodge are on the form).
Fair Trading will give the landlord or agent written notice that you have made a claim.
If your landlord or agent fails to sign the form, you can still submit it. They are given 14 days to dispute your claim.
If the landlord or agent doesn't dispute your claim, Fair Trading will pay your claim after 14 days.
Your money will be deposited into your bank account.
When and where you will get your refund
If you are using Rental Bonds Online and all your details are correct, you should get your bond back in two business days after your claim is accepted by your landlord or agent.
Refunds from Rental Bonds Online are paid by direct deposit into your nominated bank account.
What if things go wrong?
Things may go wrong if
- you have not addressed all the things you need to do when ending a tenancy
- you have a disagreement with your landlord or agent and need to negotiate
- your landlord or agent disputes your claim
- you cannot afford to pay for damages beyond fair wear and tear.
If the issue is not able to be resolved, you or your landlord or agent may need to take the dispute to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT). This means that the dispute is out of Fair Trading NSW's hands.
To get help, go to the Tenants’ Union of NSW for legal advice, assistance, and information to tenants. The Tribunal also provides a useful list of links to legal help and advice services.
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