7 things you must know to get your full bond back after ending a lease

When you’re preparing to move out of a rental, the whole process can be very stressful. Not only do you have to find a reliable removalist, pack your entire life up into boxes, clean your home, prepare for the exit inspection, actually move, unpack in your new place and hopefully get all your bond back!

According to theage.com.au, one-third of renters in 2021 lost all or part of their bond. The Residential Tenancies Bond Authority’s latest report revealed that 8% of Victorian renters lost all their bond, while 24% lost part of it. With wait times of more than 8 months to resolve bond disputes and the stress of having to defend yourself at the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) many renters just place it into the too hard basket and choose to forfeit their bond money. Don’t be like this group of renters!

Whether it’s a new rental or your own home you’re about to move into, hopefully this exit guide can provide some help on the next steps to take as you’re preparing to move and make the whole process as stress free as possible and that you get all of your bond money back!

At the time of writing, every effort has been made for the contents of this article to be accurate and reflective of current tenancy laws in Victoria, Australia. The information shared is based on my own experience and stories of other people’s experiences only and should not be taken as specific advice, but general information only. Please consult with a professional for specific advice. Please check your state or territory’s tenancy laws for the most up to date information.

• NSW: https://www.tenants.org.au
• VIC: https://tenantsvic.org.au/
• QLD: https://www.rta.qld.gov.au
• SA: https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/housing/renting-and-letting
• WA: https://www.legalaid.wa.gov.au/find-legal-answers/homes-and-neighbours/residential-tenants
• NT: https://www.dcls.org.au/tenants-advice/
• TAS: https://tutas.org.au/

Key

• Real estate agent/leasing agent/property manager = REA
• RTBA =  Residential tenancies bond authority
• Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal = VCAT

Some language has changed since 2021:

1. Provide 28 days notice to your REA that you’ll be vacating

Typically, 28 days’ notice in writing must be provided to your REA to notify them you’ll be leaving the premises and ending the lease. Some agencies give you a blank template at the beginning of your lease you can use, otherwise, typically email is fine too. The REA is entitled to begin marketing the property to prospective tenants straight away. Remember, the REA is working for the landlord, as they’re the ones who pay them, so it’s in the landlord’s/REA’s interest to have the property leased back out as quickly as possible.

REAs can organise open inspections during the last 3 weeks of your lease and no more than twice a week. It can be a major pain in the butt, having random people entering and viewing your home, while you’ve got loads of boxes and your life everywhere, but unfortunately that is just part of tenant life. REAs should give you written notice of when the inspection will occur. It’s typically 48 hours written notice.

2. Disconnect utilities (electricity/gas/water) to your exiting property

Before your lease ends, arrange to disconnect all your utilities on the last official day of your lease. Some REAs will try and con you and say you need to have the power connected right up until they finish the exit inspection which may be a few days after your lease has officially ended, but this is a lie. You do not have to continue paying for utilities you are not using when your lease has officially finished.

The disconnection of your utilities can usually be done online. The company will read your meter and send you a final bill – best to opt for email if you haven’t yet already so that snail mail doesn’t get sent to your exiting address. Remember to switch off your power at the mains when you leave your rental for the final time.

If you live in a big city, the electricity company never really disconnects the power from the property and the company is meant to send multiple notices in writing before actually doing so. You’ll have obviously been long gone by then. The supply charge and whatever power gets used in the time when you exit and the new tenant moves in should technically be charged to the owner.

3. Connect utilities to the new property

Similarly, arrange to have your electricity and/or gas connected by the day you move into your new premises. The setup of the connection can be done online and is relatively quick. It also doesn’t hurt to shop around to see which provider gives you the best rates. Sometimes it can be as simple as calling your current provider and asking if they can give you a better rate. Otherwise check out https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au for comparative providers in Victoria and which has the best rates for you.

If you’re moving to a new rental, your new REA will start up a new water account for you at the new address. If you’re moving into your own privately owned home, you’ll need to set up a new water account for yourself.

4. Clean your home to a “reasonably clean” standard

Just exactly how clean does your rental need to be when you move out?

Here’s a checklist of some common things the REA may check when they’re conducting their exit inspection. Although the list seems long and a bit daunting, if you’re in the habit of keeping these relatively clean during your lease, it won’t be a huge cleaning mountain to climb at the end of your lease.

Kitchen

• Cooking areas
• Oven
• Rangehood/extractor fan
• Sinks/handles/spout
• Splashback
• Benches
• Dishwasher
• Fridge/microwave/dishwasher
• Cupboards/drawers/pantry

Other rooms – bedrooms/study/living area

• Walls
• Windows/mirrors/ledges/flyscreen
• Lights
• Floor
• Built in wardrobes/shelves etc
• skirting board/dust blinds
• Carpet

Bathroom

• Mirror/medicine cabinet
• Toilet
• Tiled surfaces/walls
• Air vent/fan
• Shower/Bath
• Basin/handles/spout
• Laundry

Outside

• Yard
• Balcony/Courtyard
• Bins
• Patio
• Windows
• Pool/spa
• Garage
• Pest control

Although it’ll be a lot easier to mop/vacuum, once you’ve moved all your furniture and boxes out, it is still possible to clean other parts alongside as you’re packing and imminently moving out.

In the interests of time e.g. if you’re moving to a new town/city/country, some people opt to have professional cleaners come in to do a bond clean or vacating clean. Typically they “guarantee” a finish that guarantees you’ll get your bond money back. Agencies can provide a list of recommended companies, you can either choose one from their list or source your own.

In Victoria, depending on when you commenced your lease, the law currently states that rentals only need to be returned in the same condition that you received it in and professional cleans may only be required, if it was performed prior to you moving in or is needed to restore it to the same condition you received it in. Otherwise, if you have the time, with a little bit of elbow grease, you could do the clean yourself to save yourself some cash.

Most exit checklists that the REA provides will require the tenant to provide a “steam cleaning receipt” for the carpet. Some REAs will try and bully you into steam cleaning the carpets even if it was not completed prior to you moving in. You can ask the REA for a steam cleaning receipt. If they cannot provide one or will not provide one, as per Victorian tenancy laws, you are not legally required to steam clean it and return it in a cleaner state than what you received it in. REAs can say anything! They can say the carpet was encrusted in diamonds before you move in. But unless they can provide hard evidence, they have no legal standing, so do not let them bully you into unnecessarily doing this.

Some people choose to steam clean the carpet (even if it wasn’t done prior) in fear of being “blacklisted”, avoid the stress of the REA being on their back or out of politeness. If you have pets and/or young children, even if it wasn’t done prior, that’s fair enough that you do it when exiting. But if the carpet was dirty on the way in, and you’ve done your best to keep it reasonably clean while you were living there, the law states you do not have to return it in a cleaner state than when you received it.

In reality, this is the landlord and/or REA trying to shift the cleaning costs from them onto the you – the tenant. If the landlord really did care about the standard of cleanliness in their investment property, they would hire thorough cleaners to come out and do a professional clean before the new tenant moves in.

I’ve read in some instances, some particularly stupid REAs will keep on insisting on getting a steam cleaning receipt, even if there is no carpet in the premises. Go figure.

Little story time: Typically, carpets – especially in rentals should only have a lifespan of about 7-10 years before it should be completely replaced. Upon moving in, the carpet in my rental was pretty manky. It had random burn marks that left little pits, random red stains and looked way older than 7-10 years old. If carpet was actually steam cleaned, there are tell-tale signs of “grooves” from where the machine has left “patterns” in the carpet you can see, so I had strong reason to believe the carpet was not steam cleaned prior to me moving in. Despite the REA saying it had been “professionally cleaned”, there was still a strange musty smell.

In my most recent move out of my city rental, the REA kept hassling me for a steam cleaning receipt. I asked the REA three times on separate emails, to provide a steam cleaning receipt to prove it was done prior to me moving in. She blatantly ignored all my written requests – which means, I can only assume it was not done prior to me moving in and hence she was attempting to hold my bond hostage. Sometimes agencies include clauses in the contract to try and force tenants to do this upon exit – but just be aware, these clauses may actually be illegal and not enforceable, so check your state or tenancy laws for the most up to date information.

At the time of writing, according to Victorian tenancy laws, I was only required to return it to the same condition that I received the property in and not in a cleaner state, hence the REA had no legal standing and she knew it. If it was actually steam cleaned on the way in, why wouldn’t she just flick the receipt over to me, shut me up and force my hand to steam clean the carpet? Read my little story time under section 7 for the little known secret I used, to get my full bond back without providing a steam cleaning receipt and without the REA releasing it.

Another little story: I moved out of my rental, about 2 weeks into my 28 day notice period. In these last 2 weeks, the REA had 2 open inspections and it was leased out before the final two weeks was up. During this time, unbeknownst to me, someone (could’ve been the agent hosting the open or even a prospective tenant visiting) entered the premises and – true story – did a massive dump (read: shit) in the toilet and did not clean up after themselves. I could not make this shit up. Pun intended. Who the fuck does a giant shit in a random’s vacant home and doesn’t flush?!?!

As I had already well and truly moved out, I did not think to revisit my old rental before handing in my keys. No one thinks that any visitors during the open inspections would leave a mess. On the last official day of my lease, I returned my keys. I kept chasing up my REA about when she was going to do the exit report. 6 days after my lease lapsed, the REA finally emailed me mid morning and told me she was going to do it that day, without even inviting me to attend. She emailed me the day after with the completed report and as a total surprise to me, she told me the toilet needed to be cleaned again! Although I had taken some general photos after I had finished cleaning and vacated over 3 weeks ago, I did not take photos of the inside of the toilet bowl, as I did not expect that someone who would visit would do a major shit in the toilet and leave a mess, so never assume anything!! LOL. As she only told me on Thursday afternoon, it was too late for me to travel to their office to pick up the key and clean the toilet, so I had no choice but to take Friday morning off work to clean it. So annoying!!

Lesson learned: after you’ve finished your exit clean, take photos of EVERYTHING for your own exit condition report (definitely including the inside of the toilet)! Just in case something dodgy like what happened to me, happens to you and the REA takes 10 years to go to the property to complete the report and doesn’t invite you to attend. In the case, the REA argues something is not “clean enough” or got dirty after you vacated, you’ve got photographic evidence (that has inbuilt date/time stamps) to support otherwise.

5. Hand back keys

Before formally handing back the keys, it’s helpful to do one last sweep with fresh eyes of your rental to make sure you haven’t left anything behind. If you happened to leave anything behind, the landlord or agent is supposed to keep it safe and take steps to get it back to you. If anything gets lost or damaged, you may be able to claim compensation.

Switch off the power at the mains and on the last day of your lease, hand back your keys including swipe fobs to the agency. Be sure that you sign documentation and get a copy of it (or even a photo), as evidence you did indeed return all the keys to their office.

As soon as you’ve handed back the keys, lodge a claim for your bond directly with the RTBA. You do not need to wait until the exit inspection is completed. If the exit inspection is soon after and the REA is satisfied, they can release the bond and the money should be back in your account on the next business day. If the REA is slack and hasn’t told you when the exit inspection is – read on in section 7 for more details on how to get your bond back without your REA’s input.

6. Organise a time to do an exit inspection with the REA

It is your right to be able to attend the exit inspection. If the REA has their act together, they will organise a mutual time so that you can attend too.

Despite me trying to organise a mutual time with the REA for the exit inspection, 10 days before my actual lease ended, my emails were ignored, until randomly, they emailed me on a Wednesday morning after my lease was already over, that it was being done that day (without even giving me notice to attend – which is actually illegal).

If you’re able to attend, it can save you going back and forth with the REA or needing to take extra time off work over stupid stuff and you can maybe rectify any issues the REA has raised on the spot.

Little story time: I’ve heard instances, where the tenant was not invited to the exit inspection and had already moved over an hour away to a new place. The REA finally came and did the inspection, claimed the premises was still “dirty” and needed more cleaning because they found a bit of random dust in one of the kitchen cupboards. So, the tenant had to drive 60 minutes back, picked up that bit of dust. The REA eventually came back to view it on another day and only then was the REA satisfied and released the bond. (This was at a time, before Victorian rental laws changed where renters could lodge a claim to release the bond themselves.) REAs hold a crazy amount of power over tenants and although the most recent changes in the law, aim to give tenants more protection, obviously more can be done.

Some REAs can be complete assholes. Some can be tolerable. In my rental prior – the REA was super chill during the exit inspection and upon leaving, had agreed to release my bond that day. The very next business day, my bond money was back in my bank account.

7. You can claim your bond back directly from RTBA without needing the REA to release it

Remember back under section 4 – the cleaning section – where I mentioned I got back my entire bond without providing a steam cleaning receipt and without relying on the REA to release it?

With new rental laws introduced in March 2021, renters in Victoria can actually apply directly to the RTBA to release it and bypass the REA completely. All parties are then notified and have 14 days to contest the claim. If the RTBA do not receive any notice contesting the claim, all the bond money is released back to the tenant. If you go this route, it falls on how big of an asshole your REA is. Some may choose to take their assholery to a whole new level and prepare to take you to VCAT. Some may just talk a big game and be bluffing, but when it comes to making things official and potentially bringing it to VCAT, they might just back off completely and be radio silent.

Depending on what the issue(s) is, when you lodge your claim for the bond to be refunded to you, you should mentally prepare yourself for the chance that you might have to go to VCAT and plead your case.

Short story time: I’ve read instances where landlords are preparing their premises for sale and tried to claim the tenant’s bond to cover repainting and other repair costs, even though the tenant looked after the property and cleaned it immaculately the landlord tried to fob it off as covering the costs of “wear and tear”. Landlord’s cannot claim part of your bond money for normal wear and tear and can definitely not claim any to cover their refurbishment expenses.

Another little story: My friend recently moved out of her rental. After my friend had handed back the keys, she had already applied directly to the RTBA to get her bond. Unknown to my friend, the owner had changed property managing companies. After not hearing from the REA about when the exit inspection would be, my friend kept chasing up the REA and he finally told her, there was a new REA managing the property.

After another delay, the new REA eventually got around to doing the exit report and did not release the bond because of “grout discolouration” and a “loose toilet roll holder” (mind you – this apartment building was a good 20 years old and had been an investment property the whole time – so these “issues” would’ve been just part of fair wear and tear.) My friend emailed the REA to ask for photographic evidence of her claims. My friend did not hear back from the new REA, then 14 days had passed and she got her full bond back. Maybe the old REA never forwarded the bond claim notification email to the new REA? But nevertheless, the new REA never followed up nor was she prepared to take my friend to VCAT to challenge the bond claim. Go figure.

Hopefully these tips and stories provide some guidance to help you get your hard earned bond money back in full. I know REAs are people and hopefully, competently doing their job, but with so many incompetent ones around, why do the incompetent ones pick on the tiniest things that don’t even have any consequences in the bigger picture, just to make tenant’s lives stressful for no reason? It’s no wonder they have an ick factor and no one thinks highly of them!

Good luck!

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