Tenant Initiated Release – Guide for licensed real estate agents

How to use BondsOnline to review and respond to tenant‑initiated bond release requests. 

Q: What is Tenant Initiated Release?

A: When your tenant submits a paper Security Bond Release Application for a bond that was lodged electronically, Bonds Administration may convert the paper application into an eTransaction. This will streamline the bond release process, allowing both agent and tenant to respond to the application electronically as they do when an eTransaction is submitted by a BondsOnline user.

For real estate agents, the bond release application will now be viewable in the Tenant Initiated Release page in BondsOnline. You need to respond to the bond release application in BondsOnline. 

Other tenants on the bond who did not sign the Security Bond Release Application will receive an eTransaction as they currently do.

Q: How will I know there’s a Tenant Initiated Release for me to respond to?

A: You will receive an email with the subject line ‘Your residential tenancy bond release requires your approval (eTransaction Number DXXXX)’.

Note: This email is sent to any active general correspondence email addresses for the agency in BondsOnline. The Tenant Initiated Release can be actioned by anyone in the agency who has payment approval level access.

The email asks you to review the application details and agree to, or dispute, the application via BondsOnline.
To view details of the application, you must login to BondsOnline and go to ‘Payment and Transfer Approvals’.

Q: How do I action the Tenant Initiated Release?

A: Follow the steps below:

1. Log in to BondsOnline and access the portal as a real estate agency. Select the real estate agency.
2. Select the ‘Payment and Transfer Approvals’ tab – hover over the tab to see drop-down menu options.
3. Select ‘Tenant Initiated Release’.
4. Click on the ‘eTransaction Number’.
5. Review the details of the bond release application, choose ‘Agree’ or ‘Dispute’, or select the ‘Come Back Later’ button.
   Notes:
   1. Make sure you have reviewed the total amount allocated to everyone listed on the bond and the landlord/park operator claim details.
   2. If you don’t understand one of the claim details, you can hover over the question mark icon next to the claim detail to read a definition.
   3. If you select ‘Come Back Later’, you will be taken back to the Tenant Initiated Release screen.
6. If you selected ‘Agree’ or ‘Dispute’, you then need to select the ‘Save’ button.
7. After clicking ‘Save’, if a portion of the bond is allocated to the agency, you will need to select the agency’s bank details. A ‘Bank Details’ line will appear under the ‘Agree’ response, and you will need to select the bank details from the drop-down menu.
8. Then you will be taken back to the Tenant Initiated Release screen and should see your response recorded in the ‘Agree/Dispute’ column. If you provided bank details, these should also be visible in the ‘Bank Details’ column.
9. If you have multiple eTransactions to respond to, return to step 4 and follow the same process.
10. To finalise your responses to the applications, you must click ‘Confirm’.
11. After you click ‘Confirm’, you should see a ‘Confirm’ pop-up.
12. If you’re ready to submit all responses, select ‘Yes’. If you made a mistake, select ‘No’ (you can then follow steps 4 through 7 again).
13. After selecting ‘Yes’, as you have responded to all Tenant Initiated Releases currently visible, you will be taken back to the Tenant Initiated Release screen and should see the message, ‘There are no payments waiting for approval’. 
    Note: Your response to the bond release application has not been recorded until you see this screen.

Q: How do I navigate away from the Tenant Initiated Release page?

A: You can leave this page by clicking ‘Home’. If you click ‘Home’, you will be brought back to the ‘Managed Bonds’ page.

Q: What happens if I don’t respond to the Tenant Initiated Release?

A: From the day you receive the email with the subject line ‘Your residential tenancy bond release requires your approval (eTransaction Number DXXXX)’, you have 14 days to respond to the request. 

If you do not respond within this timeframe, the bond release application will be referred to the Commissioner for Consumer Protection (the Commissioner) for a determination.

Q: What happens if I haven’t received all the final invoices and can’t respond yet?

A: Only respond once you’ve worked out the exact deductions you need to claim from the bond and have all the information you need to decide whether you agree with the tenant’s request. You can return to the Tenant Initiated Release at any time within the 14‑day period to submit your response.

If you can’t get the information you need within 14 days, you don’t have to respond. When the response timeframe ends, the application will be sent to the Commissioner to make a decision. The Commissioner will allow time for everyone to make a submission.

Q: What happens if I dispute the Tenant Initiated Release?

A: If you dispute the Tenant Initiated Release, the application will be sent to the Commissioner to make a decision. The response period for all parties will close at that point. If you don’t have the evidence ready, you don’t have to dispute . This will continue the response period allowing you the full 14 days to gather evidence.