Bond Refund - how does it work?

[Guest charlot]

Hi,

 

does anybody have an experience with the bond refund when the rental contract is finished?

Are there forms that need to be signed by both lanlord and tenants? How long does it take to make the payment and are they reliable? Has anybody experienced any hassles? Thank you

[Toni]

If you are in a fixed term lease where the landlord/agent is required to lodge the bond with the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs (OCBA) then you should have received a receipt from them shortly after it was lodged by the agent. Basically when it is time for the final inspection they will go through a checklist and if no problems then the landlord/agent gives you an OCBA form to sign and they sign it also and they lodge it. Once lodged it is a pretty quick payment back to your bank account. If there is a problem e.g. if a curtain was torn and you agree it was your fault and agree with their estimate of damage then they write that on the form and it is deducted from the bond - you get the balance back and they get what it costs to replace or repair the curtain. If there is any dispute e.g. if you and the landlord don't agree then it can cause delays. It's probably best then to get in contact with the OCBA and talk to them if this should happen.

[Guest Melian]

You pay the bond, they keep it no matter how well you have looked after the house or cleaned it when you leave.

We had the carpets professionally cleaned and spent a whole day cleaning from top to bottom, the garden was well maintained throughout our stay and we never caused any bother to our landlord/real estate agent. Our friends advised us not to bother doing anything as we wouldn't get any money back even if the house was spotless, how right they were.

 

Thats our experience on how the bond works and we would like to thank our landlord for allowing us to pay rent, look after his house and then rob us.

[Guest cbeeb]

The rental agent will do a final inspection ensure you are there for it. take your own pictures so if they have any comeback you have photos as well. After the inspection you will be told if they have issues or not. you will recieve a letter form OCBA about money you are getting back they also phoned me. Ensure rental agent has follow on address for you to let OCBA know.

I got my whole deposit back mns $100 for water charges for 18 months. THe OCBA has a website with good info

[coolerking]

You pay the bond, they keep it no matter how well you have looked after the house or cleaned it when you leave.

We had the carpets professionally cleaned and spent a whole day cleaning from top to bottom, the garden was well maintained throughout our stay and we never caused any bother to our landlord/real estate agent. Our friends advised us not to bother doing anything as we wouldn't get any money back even if the house was spotless, how right they were.

 

Thats our experience on how the bond works and we would like to thank our landlord for allowing us to pay rent, look after his house and then rob us.

 

If the bond was lodged, don't they have to prove damage? Either way, not very nice and money for nothing.

 

Cooler

[Toni]

The OCBA is a government authority, not to say they always get it right but if the bond has been lodged with them the landlord/agent has to prove damage because under no circumstances should you sign the other side of the form until you are happy no matter how much pressure they put on you. Always ask for a copy of the ingoing checklist and as someone else has said take photos - there are some unscrupulous people out there. It is important that you get a copy of the receipt of the bond money having been lodged with the OCBA. There are some serious penalties for landlords and agents. For private landlords I think they have to lodge the bond with the OCBA within 1 week and I believe realestate agents need to lodge within a month. I know it is hard when you are new to a country to know all your rights but if something sounds unfair it usually is. The whole (or part of) bond will only be deducted if you sign the other bit of the form, otherwise if you dispute it the onus is on them to prove damage. With 4-6weeks of rent taken for the bond it is definitely worth arguing about.

[jim and adel]

We'll be leaving our rental within next couple of months so this is useful info, guys, thanks.

[scooterdan]

Hi,

 

We got our entire bond back...so not all experiences are bad ones!

 

Dan

[Guest cornish Busdriver]

If like us you end ended your tenancy early but still paying rent on the house you wont get the bond back untill the house is re-let again.

We were licky and the house re-let inabout 2 weeks and we got all our bond back and a thankyou card plus a botlle of wine for looking after the house from the landlord and wishing us all the best for the future in our new house.

See there are some great Landlords out there as well.