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FACTSHEET 2
About the bond
• What the bond is
• How you pay it
• How you get your bond money back
What is the bond?
Aboriginal Tenants
Advice Services
• Greater Sydney
phone 9569 0222
• Northern NSW
phone 1800 248 913
• Southern NSW
phone 1800 672 185
• Western NSW
phone 1800 810 233
www.tenants.org.au
The bond is money you pay when you start renting.
Why do you pay the bond?
You pay it in case:
• you don’t do the things in your renting agreement
• you cause some damage to the place you are renting.
Where does the bond go?
Bond money goes to NSW Fair Trading. It is kept safe there.
Bond money does not stay with your landlord.
How much bond do you have to pay?
You can only be asked to pay no more than 4 weeks rent as bond.
Where do you get help to pay the bond?
You can apply to Rentstart to help pay the bond. Phone Housing NSW
on 1300 468 746 to see if you can get Rentstart. They will tell you how
to contact your local Housing NSW office to get a Rentstart form.
How do you pay the bond?
1.Pay the money to the landlord or agent. They will give you a receipt.
Put the receipt in a safe place.
2.The landlord or agent has to send a ‘Bond Lodgement’ form and the
money to NSW Fair Trading.
3.You will get an advice slip and a bond number from NSW Fair
Trading. Keep this in a safe place.
You can also pay the bond in separate payments until you have paid it
all – but the landlord has to agree to this.
How do you get the bond back when you move out?
1.Do an inspection
Check through the place with the landlord or agent. Get someone to
be there with you.
Fill in the condition report with the landlord or agent. (Remember
the condtion report? You should have filled in a condition report
when you moved in. You need to fill it in again when you move out.)
2.Get a ‘Claim for Refund of Bond Money’ form from:
• NSW Fair Trading – phone 1800 500 330 (free call), or
• a local real estate agent.
Call your local Aboriginal Tenants Advice Service if you need help.
3.Sign the claim form
Put your bank account number on the form so the bond money can
go straight into your account.
Write down a forwarding address (where you will be living next).
Do not sign a blank claim form. Make sure you know what the form
says before you sign it.
4.Send the claim form to:
Renting Services
Locked Bag 19
Darlinghurst NSW 1300
They will put the bond refund money into your bank account.
What if you can’t get the bond money back?
There might be a disagreement. Your landlord might say that you
shouldn’t get back all your bond money.
If this happens, you will need some help. Contact your local Aboriginal
Tenants Advice Service.
Make sure you can get your bond money back!
• Fill in a condition report. Give a copy to the landlord or agent
within 7 days.
• Keep the condition report in a safe place.
• Pay your rent on time.
• Keep your rent receipts.
• Keep your place clean.
• Make sure people who stay with you do not damage things.
This factsheet is meant to be
a guide to the law in New
South Wales. It should not be
used as a substitute for legal
advice.
© Tenants’ Union of NSW
January 2011