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Find information about claiming the bond, bond payments and amounts or disputes.
If your rental agreement requires a bond to be paid, it must be paid to the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA)where it will be held in trust until the end of the rental agreement. This is called lodging a bond.
Bonds are paid by the renter or can be funded by Homes Victoria. In addition, bonds may also be required from the renter for modifications to the property by the renter. All bonds are subject to the same rules and lodged separately in the same way.
If there are multiple bonds lodged on the same property and/or the same rental agreement, they will be paid and lodged separately. You can only lodge multiple bonds under certain conditions.
The RTBA is a government body that holds all bonds of rental agreements, including those applying to long term caravans and rooming houses.
Who lodges the bond
Bonds can be lodged with the RTBA by:
- private rental providers (landlords), or
- property managers, or
- real estate agents.
Renters cannot start a bond lodgement by themselves, but all renters must review and accept a lodgement before it is finalised.
How to lodge a bond on the RTBA website
Bonds are lodged using the RTBA website. The lodgement includes information about the bond like the bond amount, rented property address, and renters’ contact details.
When the rental provider submits the lodgement, every renter on the bond receives an email notification with a link to review and accept the bond lodgement. Renters must have their own unique email address recorded with the lodgement.
If you cannot find your lodgement notification, check your junk or spam folders, make sure your inbox is not full, and make sure your rental provider used the correct email address.
Bond lodgements can be paid by the rental provider or the renter, depending on which option the rental provider selects when they submit the lodgement. A renter can request a method if they have a preference. If a renter prefers to pay the bond directly to the RTBA, let the rental provider know before the rental provider submits the lodgement.
Rental provider pays
Sometimes the rental provider will ask the renter to pay their bond before it is lodged with the RTBA. The rental provider will give the renter an account where they can send the payment.
Upon receiving the bond, the rental provider must lodge it with the RTBA within 14 days.
After the renter has accepted the lodgement, the RTBA deducts the bond amount from the rental provider using the banking details listed on the rental provider’s registered RTBA account. Rental providers cannot lodge a bond this way if their banking details are not listed on their registered account.
Renter pays
Renters have the option to pay their bond directly to the RTBA during a bond lodgement, instead of sending the funds to their rental provider.
Payments must be made within 48 hours of the link’s creation. If you cannot pay immediately, you can access the payment screen later by clicking the link in your lodgement review email or searching for your transaction on the RTBA website.
If there is a sole renter, they can pay the bond after accepting the bond lodgement.
If there are multiple renters, all renters will receive an email notification link to pay the bond after everyone has accepted the lodgement. The lodgement must be paid in full, meaning only one renter should make the full payment.
Renters can pay using BPAY, direct debit, and direct credit.
Reviewing a bond lodgement
Renters must accept the lodgement within 14 days or the lodgement will no longer be available to complete. The rental provider will have the option to restart the transaction with the previous details pre-filled.
Renters should check the lodgement to make sure all details are correct. You can request a change if you think something is wrong. You should only accept the bond lodgement if you are satisfied that all details are correct.
Managing a bond lodgement
Renters
Once you have accepted the lodgement, you can look up your lodgement transaction summary on the RTBA website using the ‘Look up your bond’ button to know:
- if other renters have accepted the lodgement, or
- the progress of a change request, or
- the status of the lodgement.
You must accept the lodgement before you can see this information. You cannot decline or request further changes once you have accepted the lodgement.
Rental providers
Rental providers can use their registered RTBA account to manage any of their pending lodgements. Rental providers can:
- Accept or refuse a change request, or
- Update the details of a lodgement, or
- Cancel the lodgement, or
- Resubmit the lodgement if it timed out or was cancelled.
If a renter has requested a change, you will receive an email notification. You must action the request within 14 days or the lodgement will no longer be available to complete.
Processing time
Once the lodgement has been accepted, the transaction will usually be finalised and a bond record will be created (lodged) within one business day.
Payments can take up to 8 days to process. If the payment is rejected, dishonoured, or not received, the bond lodgement will be cancelled.
Receipts and bond numbers
When the bond is lodged, the RTBA will send a receipt to every renter listed on the bond. Rental providers will receive a receipt if they ask for one.
The receipt will contain the bond number. Keep your bond number somewhere safe. You can use it to search for your bond on the RTBA website during your rental agreement. You will need it to make changes to your details on the bond or to make a claim at a later date.
You should receive your bond receipts within 7 days from when the bond is lodged.
If you do not receive the receipt within 15 days, call the RTBA on 1300 137 164.
If you are not sure whether your bond has been lodged, you can check by searching for your bond online using your contact details.
Homes Victoria bond loans
Rental providers indicate if a bond is funded using a Homes Victoria loan voucher during the lodgement. The RTBA’s system will use the voucher number to check that the loan is valid.
Homes Victoria send a copy of their loan voucher to the rental provider. Renters should consider sending a copy of their loan voucher to their rental provider as well.
Renters do not need to review or accept lodgements funded by Homes Victoria because the details are provided on the Homes Victoria loan voucher.
The RTBA cannot change the details on a Homes Victoria loan voucher, so you should check your details are correct before you lodge your bond.
Contact Homes Victoria if you think there is an issue.
Find more information about bond loans.
Service Victoria authentication
The RTBA is partnering with Service Victoria for improved security and privacy protection. Renters will need to pass Service Victoria’s identity authentication to review and accept their lodgement or undertake any other transaction.
The identity authentication requires a valid email address and a mobile number.
Contact the RTBA
You can contact the RTBA on 1300 137 164 or through the RTBA enquiries form.