29Sep2020
Complete Guide to Get Your Rental Bond Back in Full
The lure of living in the capital city of Queensland brings thousands of families and students to its hinterland every year. Sitting pretty in the Peninsula of Brisbane River, it is a highly sought-after city because of its high living standards and enchanting locales. Renting a house here is the easiest thing to do when you have found your ideal place to reside.
You have to sign a lease agreement with the landlord and pay a rental bond, which is held by the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) during the lease term.
You can retrieve the deposit at the end of the tenancy by making sure that you have deep cleaned the premises and have not caused any damage to the property or are lagging with your rental payments. If you fail to do so, then the landlord can claim your bond.
The final inspection should showcase the property in the same neat and clean condition in which it was at the time of leasing. Thus most tenants rely on professional bond cleaning in Brisbane to meet the satisfaction levels of the property managers and avoid any disputes.
Let us help you understand the procedure of getting the rental bond back without any cuts in detail. If you are new to the process and are getting into a rental contract for the first time, then make sure you know everything about rental bonds.
What Is A Rental Bond?
The rental bond is the security deposit that the landlord asks you to pay at the beginning of the tenancy. The money is held by the RTA during the lease period and is refunded at the end of the tenancy. The landlord will provide the tenant with a receipt for the bond and submit the amount to the RTA within ten days of the payment. The maximum deposit that can be charged by a landlord is four weeks rent if the weekly rent is $700 or less. If the rent is higher than $700 per week, then the amount must be decided after negotiation between the two parties. However, there is no cap. Tenants who cannot afford to pay the bond upfront can apply for an interest-free bond loan, which has to be repaid during the loan term. You can also take advantage of rental grants, which offer an amount equal to two weeks of rent. It does not have to be repaid and is offered to people undergoing a financial crisis.Requesting A Bond Refund
After the lease period has ended, the tenant and the property manager need to reach an agreement on the refund and how it will be paid back. If the landlord is satisfied by the tenant’s bond cleaning in Brisbane and has no other rental dues, then both the parties should sign the refund form. They should also be in agreement that the refund will be credited to the tenant’s account in full. Once the refund form has been submitted to the RTA, they will credit the amount in your Australian bank account within 2 to 3 days. You can also utilise the online bond refund to request the full payment of the deposit or partial payment in case of a rent reduction. The quickest and the most convenient way to get the bond back is to ensure that all parties agree on the payment and submit their responses online so that the payment can be processed at the earliest. It is known as fast track refund where the parties do not have physically sign and submit the form. You can apply for a refund if your bond loan instalments are pending. The RTA will deduct the amount and transfer it to the Department of Housing and Public Works.Requirements For Online Bond Refund
Using the RTA Web Services for releasing the bond is effortless. You must be equipped with all the required information to get the process started. The requirements include your QGov login credentials, your bond number for the present lease term, the date of moving out of the rental property if you are asking for the full refund, email addresses of all the tenants and bank account details of the head tenant. The request can be submitted by any of the two parties after the tenant has moved out. However, you need the Australian-issued identification to get verified through QGov. If you do not have the identification, then you will have to submit the paper form to the RTA in Brisbane.Bond Refund Disagreement
Disputes are not uncommon when it comes to reaching an agreement on the refund. Often the property manager is dissatisfied by the cleanliness status of the house. Thus if you plan to get your bond back in full, then you must hire professional bond cleaners in Brisbane to get the property cleaned from top to bottom. They are experts in meticulous cleaning and sanitisation of residential properties and follow the pre-approved cleaning checklist to get the desired results. Usually, a disagreement involves the refusal of one of the parties to sign the refund form or difference of opinion over how the bond will be paid. In such cases, the RTA issues the amount that is not under any dispute and holds on to the money which is disputed. The RTA then sends a Notice of Claim to those who did not sign the refund form and provides them with a timeline of 14 days to respond.Resolving Disputes Related To Bond Refund
The first step should be self-resolution, where both the parties sit together and talk about the issue to reach a consensus. However, if they are unable to end the argument, then they can take the assistance of the RTA’s dispute resolution service, which is free and impartial towards all the involved parties. The conciliators help in reaching an agreement. If the conciliators are unable to settle the issue, then you can submit an application to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) along with the Notice of unresolved dispute and the filing fee. The date of hearing is provided by the Tribunal where both parties present their side of the story.How To Ensure Complete Bond Retrieval
Bond cleaning in Brisbane plays a significant role in getting the bond back. While fair wear and tear is exempted, the entry and exit condition reports should match to ensure effective cleaning and maintenance.- The landlord is particularly concerned about the carpet cleaning. If the carpets were clean when you first arrived in the house, then you must clean them appropriately. Professional bond cleaners in Brisbane also provide specialised carpet steam cleaning. You can utilise the service for best results and must keep the receipts for carpet cleaning.
- Similarly, if the property was devoid of any pests like mould and mildew at the beginning of the tenancy, then you need to get rid of them. The cleaners may charge a few extra dollars for the additional service. However, you will be able to get your bond back easily.
- You must prepare the entry condition report when moving in so that you have evidence of the condition of the property at the beginning of the lease. It must include photographs.
- You must also prepare an exit condition report with photos after the bond cleaning has been completed and give a copy to the landlord while handing over the keys.
- You must have the receipts of all the rental payments and the receipt of the bond as well.
- If you have damaged the property beyond fair wear and tear, then you must get it fixed before moving out.
