Note: In some areas of BondsOnline, the term ‘disposal’ is still used to refer to the release or payout of a bond. This terminology will be updated to ‘release’ soon.
Before you start
If you are approved to use BondsOnline, there are a number of steps before beginning the bond release process in BondsOnline. Ensure that the tenancy has ended, the final inspection has been completed and the outgoing Property Condition Report has been provided to the tenant(s).
If there’s any damage to the property, it’s best if everyone understands the bond claim amounts so you and the tenant(s) can work out a fair amount to deduct from the bond before lodging the release.
The easiest way to get a bond released is if everyone agrees on who is lodging the bond release. Ensure that you have the correct email address and mobile number for your tenant(s).
Submitting the electronic Security Bond Release Application
- Log in to BondsOnline and navigate to the bond you want to have released.
- Select the ‘Request Disposal’ button on the bottom-right corner of the Bond’s Details screen.
- You should see ‘Security Bond Release Application’ (new name of the form) at the top of the screen.
- You need to enter in the ‘Tenancy End Date’, the ‘Mobile Number’ and ‘Email Address’ for each tenant, and the ‘Amount to be Paid’ for each tenant.
- If you are making a claim to the bond, you will need to select ‘Yes’ to the question under ‘Agency/ Managing Party’ ‘Do you want to make a claim?’.
When you click ‘Yes’, the ‘Claim details’ you must select from will appear.
Note: You can hover over the question mark next to the claim to read the definition of what the claim is. The ‘Total amount claimed from the bond’ and the ‘Amount to be Paid’ under your section will automatically populate based on the figures you add in the claim details boxes.
- If you are claiming any portion of the bond, you will also need to ‘Select Bank Account’ by clicking into the drop-down menu that appears in your section.
- After completing all relevant fields on this screen, select ‘Submit’ at the bottom of the screen, under the heading ‘Form Validation’.
- A ‘Release Summary’ will appear. Review this, and if correct, select the tick-box next to ‘I confirm that the above details are correct’. Then select the ‘Submit’ button.
- A pop-up message with the eTransaction Number will appear. You may wish to note this number down. Then click ‘OK’.
Approving the electronic Security Bond Release Application
Before your tenant(s) receives the bond release eTransaction, you need to approve the payment.
- Hover over ‘Payment and Transfer Approvals’ and select ‘Disposal’.
- Review the details.
- Select the tick-box under ‘Approve’ and click on the ‘Confirm’ button to proceed to sending the eTransaction to the tenant(s).
Note: If you made a mistake, you can click on the eTransaction Number. From the ‘eTransaction Details’ screen, you can edit the contact details for any of the parties, ‘Cancel the Transaction’ or ‘Change and Resubmit the Transaction’.
Tenant approval or dispute of the bond release
Once you approve the eTransaction, Bonds Administration officially receives the bond release request.
An important change to the legislation requires Bonds Administration to send an official notice to everyone else on the bond, notifying them of the application. In BondsOnline, this notification happens automatically when the eTransaction email is sent to the tenant(s). The tenant(s) will then receive a notice from Bonds Administration at the email address you provided.
From here, the tenant(s) will review the details of the bond release application and can respond by agreeing, disputing or requesting a change.
- The bond release notice email has the subject line ‘Your residential tenancy bond release requires your approval (eTransaction Number DXXXX)’.
- The tenant(s) approve the eTransaction in the same way that they currently do, by selecting ‘Here’ and ‘Request Code’ and entering in the code that they receive via their supplied mobile number.
- The tenant(s) can respond to the application by clicking ‘Approve Details’ if they agree to the bond release, or ‘Dispute’ if they do not agree to the bond release.
- The tenant(s) can also click ‘Request a Change’. If they do this, you will receive an email advising of the requested change. At this point, you can choose to amend the Security Bond Release Application, resulting in the creation of a new eTransaction. However, you and the tenant(s) will have to respond to the new eTransaction within the initial 14-day timeframe.
If the tenant(s) do not respond to the eTransaction they will receive a reminder 7 days after the first email was sent to them and a final reminder on day 13 – one day before the eTransaction is set to expire.
Bonds disputes
Residential tenancy
If the bond is for a residential tenancy – the tenant(s) disputes the bond release or does not respond within 14 days of receiving the notice, the bond release application will be referred to the Commissioner for Consumer Protection (the Commissioner) to decide on how the bond will be released.
Residential parks
Those listed on the bond can apply to the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) if someone disputes the application or otherwise does not respond within 14 days.
When the Security Bond Release Application is referred to the Commissioner
If the tenant(s) disputes the application or fails to respond within the 14-day timeframe, you will receive two notifications concurrently:
- Bonds Administration will inform you that the bond release has been referred to the Commissioner.
- The Commissioner will issue a notice to you and the tenant(s) advising that the bond was referred and invite you and the tenant(s) to make a submission regarding the bond release.
From here, you should follow the directions outlined in the notice from the Commissioner or contact the Determinations Branch for further information on the process.
After the Commissioner’s decision is issued
After going through the dispute resolution process, you will receive a Commissioner’s decision about the bond release. This will specify how the bond is to be released. Bonds Administration also receives a copy of the Commissioner’s decision.
Everyone has seven days to make an appeal application with the Magistrates Court. For more information on making an appeal, visit: (insert link). Bonds Administration will continue to hold the bond for seven days.
After the seven-day appeal period, assuming that there was no appeal of the Commissioner’s decision, Bonds Administration can pay out the bond. Bonds Administration will pay out any portion of the bond that is owed to a BondsOnline user using their authorised bank details from their BondsOnline account.
If anyone provided bank details during the bond release process (such as when they approved the eTransaction for bond release) and their portion of the bond is owing back to these parties, this may be automated.
If the tenant(s) disputed the application or did not respond, Bonds Administration will contact the tenant(s) to request their bank details and will release their portion of the bond after receipt of the bank details.