Bond Refund: How to Get Your Bond Back at the End of Your Tenancy in NSW

Moving out of a rental property comes with a lot of moving parts, and getting your bond back is often the last — and most important — step. This guide walks you through exactly how the bond refund process works — from your outgoing inspection through to the funds landing in your account.

Your bond refund is processed once three conditions are met: all keys have been returned to our office, there are no rent arrears outstanding on your account, and we have completed an outgoing inspection of the property. During the outgoing inspection, we compare the current condition of the property against the ingoing condition report you signed at the start of your tenancy. This is the benchmark document that determines your bond outcome.

During the outgoing inspection, we compare the current condition of your property against the ingoing condition report you signed at the commencement of your tenancy.

We assess the following areas:

• Cleanliness of the property compared to the ingoing report
• Any rubbish or furniture left behind
• Any areas of damage beyond general wear and tear
• Any signs of pests
• Maintenance issues such as non-working light globes

General wear and tear is always taken into account. This refers to the natural, expected deterioration of a property through everyday living — minor scuffs on walls, faded paintwork, or worn carpet in high-traffic areas. These are not charged to tenants. Items that fall outside this, such as stains on carpet or holes in walls, may result in a deduction.

If concerns are identified, we will generate an outgoing condition report and share it with you so you can compare it against your ingoing report. We will then contact you to work through a resolution, taking into account the incoming tenant's move-in timeframe.

You have three options to resolve any raised issues:

• Arrange your own licensed tradesperson to complete the repairs
• Return to the property yourself to rectify the issue
• Authorise us to engage one of our approved trades companies on your behalf

You can pay any invoice directly to our office, or authorise us to deduct the agreed amount from your bond. We strongly recommend paying directly where possible — this avoids the 14-day hold period applied by NSW Fair Trading when deductions are present, and gets your bond back to you faster.

In NSW, all residential rental bonds are held by NSW Fair Trading through the Rental Bonds Online (RBO) platform. How your refund is processed depends on how your bond was originally lodged.

If you lodged through our office (paper bond):

Once the refund amount is finalised, simply provide us with your nominated bank account details. We will submit the claim to NSW Fair Trading on your behalf.

If you lodged directly via Rental Bonds Online:

No further action is required from you. Once we initiate the refund through RBO, NSW Fair Trading will automatically deposit the funds into the bank account you nominated during your original registration.

Once the bond release is initiated through Rental Bonds Online, funds are typically deposited into your account within 2 to 3 business days.

If there are any deductions, NSW Fair Trading issues a 14-day Notice of Claim, giving both parties time to review and agree on the amounts before the funds are released. If the tenant does not respond within 14 days, the claim is automatically processed in the landlord's favour.

To speed up your bond refund, we recommend paying any costs — such as cleaning, rent arrears, missing keys or damage — directly to our office rather than authorising deductions from the bond. This allows the full bond to be released without delay.

If your bond was lodged through Rental Bonds Online, you can log in to your RBO account at any time to check the current status of your bond and any refund claim in progress.

If your bond was lodged through our office as a paper bond, contact us directly and we can provide you with a status update and bond reference number.

We aim to complete your outgoing inspection within 48 hours of receiving your keys and confirmation that you have removed all rubbish and undertaken cleaning of the property. Our goal is to get you the results of your inspection — and your bond — as quickly as possible.