Rental Bond QLD — Complete Guide for Self-Managing Landlords

If you’re a self-managing landlord in Queensland, the rental bond is one of the most tightly regulated parts of the tenancy. The Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 prescribes exactly how much bond you can take, when you must lodge it with the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA), what happens at the end of the tenancy, and how disputes are resolved. Since 30 September 2024, a series of reforms have further tightened the rules — capping bond amounts for all properties, requiring landlords to provide evidence when claiming against a bond, and giving tenants the right to reclaim excess bond from existing tenancies.

Get the process wrong — fail to lodge within time, take too much bond, or claim without evidence — and you face penalties, lost claims, and potential tribunal orders against you. This guide covers every step from collecting the bond to getting it back, grounded in the current legislation.

If you’re setting up a new tenancy, start with our QLD lease agreement guide. For the broader tenancy law framework behind bond collection, notices, and end-of-tenancy disputes, see our QLD rental laws guide.

What Is a Rental Bond?

Under Section 111 of the Act, a rental bond is any amount paid by or for the tenant that is intended to be available for the financial protection of the lessor against the tenant breaching the agreement. It does not include rent paid in advance.

The important point for self-managing landlords is that it doesn’t matter what you call the payment. Whether you describe it as a security deposit, linen deposit, key deposit, or pet bond — if the money is intended as financial protection over the property and its inclusions, it is a rental bond under the Act. The legal obligations around lodgement, maximum amounts, and refund all apply regardless of how the payment is labelled.

You are not required to take a bond. The Act does not mandate it. But most landlords do, because without one, you have no financial buffer if the tenant damages the property, leaves owing rent, or breaches the agreement in a way that costs you money.

When Can You Take a Bond?

You can only take a bond after you have given the prospective tenant a copy of the proposed tenancy agreement, including any special terms that apply. This means the tenant must have seen the agreement — and its terms — before you collect any bond money. If you collect a bond before providing the agreement, you risk an offence under the Act.

The bond should only be paid after the tenant has signed the tenancy agreement. Collecting bond money before the tenancy is secured creates unnecessary risk for both parties and may be treated as a holding deposit, which has different rules.

How Much Bond Can You Take?

The Maximum Bond Amount

From 30 September 2024, the maximum rental bond for a general tenancy is 4 weeks’ rent, regardless of the weekly rent amount. This is set out in Section 112 of the Act, which defines the maximum rental bond for premises other than moveable dwellings as an amount equal to 4 weeks’ rent.

Before this reform, properties rented at more than $700 per week had no cap on the bond amount. That threshold has been removed. Whether the rent is $400 a week or $1,500 a week, the maximum bond is 4 weeks’ rent.

There is one exception: if the lessor is the tenant’s employer and provides a rental subsidy, a different maximum bond calculation applies under Section 146(1)(a). This is uncommon for typical self-managing landlords, but if you rent a property to an employee and subsidise their rent, check the specific rules with the RTA before setting the bond amount.

This cap applies to the total of all bonds taken, no matter how many separate payments are collected or what they are called. If you take a “security deposit” of 2 weeks’ rent and a “key deposit” of 1 week’s rent and a “cleaning deposit” of 2 weeks’ rent, your total of 5 weeks exceeds the 4-week maximum — even though no single payment exceeded it. You are in breach of Section 146.

No Pet Bonds

If you allow a pet at the rental property, you cannot ask the tenant to pay a separate pet bond. This is explicit in the Act. Any amount intended as financial protection — including protection against pet damage — counts toward the 4-week maximum. You cannot charge above the maximum by labelling the excess as a pet bond.

You can, however, include a condition in the tenancy agreement requiring the tenant to have the carpets professionally cleaned or the premises fumigated at the end of the tenancy if a pet has been kept, provided the condition complies with Section 184F and does not require the tenant to use a particular cleaning or fumigation provider.

Penalty for Overcharging

Under Section 146, it is an offence to require payment of, or accept, a rental bond (or amounts totalling) more than the maximum. The maximum penalty is 20 penalty units.

Separately, if you collect a bond before giving the tenant a copy of the proposed tenancy agreement — an offence under Section 57(2) — and are convicted, Section 148 requires the RTA to refund the entire bond to the tenant, and no part of it can be paid to or claimed by you. This is a different offence from overcharging, but it reinforces why the order of steps matters: agreement first, then bond.

Excess Bonds on Existing Tenancies

If you held a bond that exceeded 4 weeks’ rent before 30 September 2024 — for example, because the property was rented above $700 per week and a higher bond was lawfully taken under the old rules — the excess doesn’t automatically get refunded. The tenant can claim the excess when the tenancy is renewed after 30 September 2024.

To do this, the tenant uses the Excess Bond Refund for Tenants (Form 4b). All bond contributors must sign the form, and it must be submitted after the renewed tenancy has commenced. The RTA will process the refund and notify you of the new bond amount. You cannot dispute this refund — it is automatic once the form is properly submitted.

If the tenant chooses not to claim the excess during the tenancy, the full bond remains with the RTA until the tenancy ends and a standard Refund of Rental Bond (Form 4) is lodged.

You can also voluntarily release any excess bond to the tenant at any time by lodging a partial refund using Form 4.

How to Lodge the Bond with the RTA

The 10-Day Rule

If you receive bond money from the tenant, you must lodge it with the RTA within 10 days. This is set out in Section 116 of the Act, and the penalty for non-compliance is 40 penalty units — the highest bond-related penalty in the Act.

You must also give the tenant a receipt immediately when you receive the bond (Section 145). The receipt must state your name, the tenant’s name, the property address, the date the bond was received, and the amount. If you are not the lessor — for example, if you are an agent collecting on the lessor’s behalf — the receipt must also state the lessor’s name. If there are multiple tenants and they tell you the proportions in which the bond is paid, the receipt must state the amount paid by each tenant. You must keep a copy of the receipt for at least 1 year after the agreement ends. Failing to provide a receipt carries a penalty of 10 penalty units.

If the tenant lodges the bond directly with the RTA themselves (which is one of the available options), the 10-day obligation doesn’t apply to you — it applies to the person who receives the bond money.

Three Ways to Lodge

There are three ways to lodge a bond with the RTA:

Option 1 — Tenant lodges directly. The tenant can lodge and pay the bond directly to the RTA via the RTA Bond Lodgement web service. Both you and the tenant will receive an Acknowledgement of Rental Bond from the RTA. This is the simplest option for self-managing landlords because you never handle the bond money and the 10-day clock doesn’t start.

Option 2 — You receive the money and lodge online. If you receive the bond from the tenant, give them a receipt immediately, then lodge the bond via the RTA Bond Lodgement web service within 10 days. You can pay using BPAY, credit card, or debit card.

Option 3 — Paper lodgement. Either you or the tenant can complete a paper Bond Lodgement (Form 2) and post it to the RTA with a cheque or money order. This is the slowest option and should only be used if online lodgement is not accessible.

Once the bond is lodged and paid, the RTA will send both you and the tenant an Acknowledgement of Rental Bond letter. This letter includes a rental bond number — keep it. You will need this number for every future bond transaction, including refunds and disputes.

Bond Instalments

You can accept bond payments in instalments if you and the tenant agree. The number and amount of instalments should be recorded in the tenancy agreement.

The first instalment must be lodged with the RTA using Form 2 or the RTA Bond Lodgement web service. Each subsequent instalment must also be lodged with the RTA within 10 days of receiving it — under Section 116, the 10-day rule applies separately to every payment you receive, not just the first.

The maximum penalty for failing to lodge instalments is 40 penalty units.

Increasing the Bond

If rent increases, you may want to increase the bond to maintain the 4-week equivalent. Under Section 154 of the Act, you can do this, but only if:

• It has been at least 11 months since the last bond increase or the start of the tenancy.
• You give the tenant at least 1 month’s written notice of the bond increase.

The increased bond cannot exceed the maximum of 4 weeks’ rent based on the new rent amount. Any additional bond money must be lodged with the RTA using a Bond Lodgement (Form 2) within 10 days of receiving it.

Bond Transfers

If a tenant is moving from one property to another and both properties are managed by you (or the same lessor/agent), the bond can be transferred rather than refunded and re-lodged. The tenant and lessor/agent must complete a Change of Rental Property (Form 3).

A transfer only changes the property address on the existing bond. The bond amount, tenants, and property manager/owner cannot be changed through a transfer. If the new bond is less than the previous one, you need to lodge a partial refund (Form 4) before the transfer. If additional money is needed, lodge a bond top-up via the RTA Bond Lodgement web service or a paper Form 2.

Bond Continuance When a Tenancy Rolls Over

When a fixed-term agreement ends and the tenant continues occupying the property — whether under a new agreement or by rolling into a periodic tenancy — you do not need to collect and re-lodge a new bond. Under Section 122, the existing rental bond is automatically taken to be the bond for the renewal agreement. The bond number stays the same, the RTA continues to hold it, and no new lodgement is required.

This is also the trigger point for the excess bond provisions. If the existing bond exceeds 4 weeks’ rent under the current rent amount, the tenant can claim the excess via Form 4b once the renewed tenancy has commenced (Section 585A).

What Happens to the Bond If the Property Is Sold

If you sell a rental property with an existing tenancy, the bond remains with the RTA. The tenancy continues under the new owner, who steps into your position as lessor. The bond does not need to be refunded and re-lodged — it simply transfers with the tenancy.

You and the new owner should complete a Change of Property Manager/Owner (Form 5) and submit it to the RTA. This updates the RTA’s records so the new owner is listed as the lessor for bond purposes. Until this is done, the RTA’s records will still show you as the lessor, which can create complications if a bond refund is later lodged.

Refunding the Bond at the End of a Tenancy

When to Lodge a Refund

A bond refund request can be submitted to the RTA when the tenancy agreement has ended. The RTA cannot accept a refund request before the expiry date of any notice ending the tenancy — such as a Notice to Leave (Form 12), Notice of Intention to Leave (Form 13), or Abandonment Termination Notice (Form 15).

Bond refunds are only paid into Australian bank accounts. No cheques are issued.

If You and the Tenant Agree

If both parties agree on how the bond should be divided, the fastest path is a joint refund. You and the tenant both sign the Refund of Rental Bond (Form 4) and submit it to the RTA — either online via RTA Web Services or by post. The RTA will refund the bond as directed, typically within a few days.

This is the outcome you should aim for in every tenancy. Discuss the bond with the tenant before lodging the form. Walk the property together at the exit inspection, compare the exit condition report against the entry condition report, and agree on any deductions before either party lodges paperwork with the RTA.

If You and the Tenant Don’t Agree

If you can’t agree on how the bond should be split, either party can lodge a Refund of Rental Bond (Form 4) without the other party’s signature. The RTA will process the first form received as follows:

The RTA will release any undisputed amount immediately. For example, if the total bond is $2,400 and the landlord claims $800 for damages while the tenant wants the full amount back, the RTA will release the undisputed $1,600 to the tenant and hold the disputed $800.

The RTA will then send a Notice of Claim to the party who didn’t sign the form. That party has 14 days to respond. They can:

• Agree with the claim by signing the back of the Notice of Claim and returning it to the RTA.
• Dispute the claim by lodging a Dispute Resolution Request (Form 16) with the RTA, or responding digitally via RTA Web Services.
• Take no action — in which case the RTA will pay the bond as directed by whoever lodged the first form after the 14-day period expires.

This last point is critical. If the tenant lodges a Form 4 claiming the full bond before you do, and you fail to respond to the Notice of Claim within 14 days, you lose the entire bond. The RTA will pay it to the tenant. This is why self-managing landlords should always act promptly at the end of a tenancy — either lodge an agreed refund together, or lodge your own Form 4 with your claim first.

The Evidence Requirement

From 30 September 2024, when you claim against or dispute a bond refund, you must provide supporting evidence to the tenant within 14 days of making the claim or dispute. This is required under Section 136AA of the Act, and failing to provide evidence is an offence carrying a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units.

The evidence goes to the tenant, not to the RTA. Examples of acceptable evidence include receipts for repairs, quotes to repair damage, and records of unpaid rent. The evidence must support the amount you are claiming — vague assertions without documentation will not hold up if the matter reaches QCAT.

You are excused from this requirement only if you have been unable to contact the tenant after making reasonable efforts. Reasonable efforts include attempting to contact the tenant by telephone, text message, email, or social media, and attempting to contact an emergency contact listed in the agreement.

Transitional provision: For bonds lodged with the RTA before 30 September 2024, the evidence requirement did not apply during a 12-month transition period (30 September 2024 to 30 September 2025). That transition period has now expired. As of October 2025, the evidence requirement applies to all bond claims and disputes, regardless of when the bond was originally lodged.

The Dispute Resolution Process

RTA Conciliation

If a Dispute Resolution Request (Form 16) is lodged, the RTA’s free dispute resolution service will assign a conciliator to the matter. The conciliator will contact both parties and attempt to help reach an agreement. If an agreement is reached, both parties sign a bond refund form and the RTA pays out the bond as agreed.

QCAT

If conciliation fails, the RTA issues a Notice of Unresolved Dispute. The party who lodged the Form 16 (the person who disputed the original claim) then has 7 days to apply to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) for a decision. They must also notify the RTA in writing that they have made the QCAT application within this timeframe.

If no QCAT application is lodged within 7 days, the RTA will pay the bond as directed by whoever first lodged the bond refund form. This is a tight deadline. If you are the one who disputed the tenant’s claim and conciliation fails, you must act within 7 days or you lose the disputed amount.

At a QCAT hearing, the tribunal can make any order about payment of the bond it considers appropriate. Under Section 136D, QCAT will have regard to the tenant’s efforts to comply with their obligation to leave the property in the required condition (Section 188(4)), each party’s compliance with the Act, and the evidence supporting any bond claim.

What If QCAT Dismisses the Application?

If QCAT dismisses the bond dispute application or the application is withdrawn, the RTA will release the bond according to the original refund request. This means that if you disputed the tenant’s claim, the matter went to QCAT, and your application was dismissed, the tenant gets the bond as they originally claimed.

What Can You Claim Against the Bond?

The bond is intended as financial protection against the tenant breaching the agreement. Common claims include:

Unpaid rent. If the tenant owes rent at the end of the tenancy, you can claim the outstanding amount from the bond. Keep accurate rent records — you will need them as evidence.

Damage beyond fair wear and tear. If the property has been damaged beyond what would be expected from normal use over the tenancy period, you can claim the cost of repair. The entry and exit condition reports (Forms 1a and 14a) are your primary evidence here. Without a properly completed entry condition report, it is extremely difficult to prove damage occurred during the tenancy.

Cleaning costs. If the tenant has not left the property in a reasonably clean condition, you can claim cleaning costs. However, you cannot claim for routine cleaning that would be necessary between any tenancy — only for cleaning that is necessary because the tenant left the property in a worse condition than they received it, accounting for fair wear and tear.

Other breaches. Any other costs arising from the tenant’s breach of the agreement may be claimable against the bond. This could include costs for replacing lost keys or restoring unauthorised alterations.

You cannot claim against the bond for matters that are not the tenant’s responsibility under the Act — such as general maintenance, wear and tear, or pre-existing damage. If the bond is insufficient to cover your legitimate losses, you can apply to QCAT for a compensation order against the tenant for the shortfall.

The Role of Condition Reports

Condition reports are your most important tool for protecting the bond at the end of a tenancy. In QLD, the prescribed forms are the Entry Condition Report (Form 1a) and the Exit Condition Report (Form 14a).

Your entry and exit condition reports are some of the most important evidence in a QLD bond dispute.

The entry condition report must be completed at the start of the tenancy. As the lessor or agent, you are responsible for completing and signing the report, then providing it to the tenant on or before the day they move in. The tenant then has 7 days to inspect the property, mark any disagreements on the report, sign it, and return it to you. After you receive the signed report back, you must make a copy and return it to the tenant within 14 days. You must keep a copy for at least 1 year after the tenancy ends.

At the end of the tenancy, complete the exit condition report and compare it against the entry condition report. This comparison is the foundation of any bond claim for damage. If you didn’t complete an entry condition report — or if you did but the tenant returned it marked with disagreements that you ignored — your position at QCAT is significantly weakened.

If the tenancy ended because you served a notice for arrears or another breach, our QLD eviction notice guide guide covers that process separately. If the tenancy ended early because the tenant left before the fixed term expired, see our QLD break lease guide guide.

Common Mistakes Landlords Make

Failing to Lodge Within 10 Days

This is the most common and most serious bond mistake. If you receive bond money from a tenant and don’t lodge it with the RTA within 10 days, you commit an offence carrying a maximum penalty of 40 penalty units. If convicted, the court can also order you to pay the RTA an amount equal to the rental bond (Section 147). There is no grace period and no excuse — the 10-day clock starts the moment you receive the money.

Not Giving a Receipt

When you receive bond money, you must give the tenant a receipt immediately — not later that day, not the next business day, immediately. The receipt must include specific details prescribed by Section 145. Failing to provide a receipt is a separate offence (10 penalty units) and also undermines your record-keeping if a dispute arises later.

Charging a Separate Pet Bond

Despite what some landlords believe, there is no such thing as a “pet bond” in QLD. Any amount taken as financial protection counts toward the 4-week maximum. If your bond is already at 4 weeks’ rent and you charge an additional amount labelled as a pet bond, you have exceeded the maximum and committed an offence.

Claiming Without Evidence

Since the transitional period has expired, every bond claim or dispute you make requires supporting evidence provided to the tenant within 14 days. If you claim $500 for carpet cleaning but cannot produce a receipt, invoice, or quote, you are both committing an offence under Section 136AA and significantly weakening your position if the matter goes to QCAT.

Not Responding to a Notice of Claim

If the tenant lodges a bond refund form before you do and the RTA sends you a Notice of Claim, you have 14 days to dispute it. If you miss this deadline, the bond is paid to the tenant as they directed. There is no extension. Self-managing landlords who are slow to check their mail or who assume the process will wait for them lose bond claims this way.

Ignoring the QCAT 7-Day Deadline

If you lodge a dispute, go through RTA conciliation, and it fails — you have 7 days from receiving the Notice of Unresolved Dispute to apply to QCAT. Seven days. Not 14 days, not 28 days. Miss it, and the bond is paid as the other party directed, regardless of the merits of your claim.

Frequently Asked Questions About Rental Bonds in QLD

How much bond can I charge in QLD? The maximum rental bond for a general tenancy is 4 weeks’ rent, regardless of the weekly rent amount. This cap has applied to all properties since 30 September 2024. The total of all bond amounts taken — however many payments and whatever they are called — cannot exceed this maximum. Charging more is an offence under Section 146 of the Act, carrying a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units.

Can I charge a pet bond in QLD? No. There is no separate pet bond in Queensland. Any amount taken as financial protection over the property counts toward the 4-week maximum bond. You can include a condition in the tenancy agreement requiring professional carpet cleaning or fumigation at the end of the tenancy if a pet is kept, but you cannot charge additional bond for it.

How long do I have to lodge the bond with the RTA? You must lodge the bond with the RTA within 10 days of receiving it from the tenant. This applies to the full bond and to each instalment if the bond is being paid in parts. The penalty for failing to lodge within time is up to 40 penalty units — the highest bond-related penalty in the Act.

Can the tenant lodge the bond directly? Yes. The tenant can lodge and pay the bond directly to the RTA via the RTA Bond Lodgement web service. This is often the simplest approach for self-managing landlords because you never handle the money and the 10-day lodgement obligation doesn’t apply to you.

What happens if I had a bond over 4 weeks’ rent from before the reforms? The excess bond is not automatically refunded. The tenant can claim the excess by submitting an Excess Bond Refund for Tenants (Form 4b) when the tenancy is renewed after 30 September 2024. All bond contributors must sign the form. You cannot dispute this refund. If the tenant does not claim the excess, the full bond remains with the RTA until the tenancy ends.

How do I get the bond back at the end of a tenancy? Either you or the tenant submits a Refund of Rental Bond (Form 4) to the RTA — online via RTA Web Services or by post. If both parties agree on the split and both sign the form, the RTA typically processes the refund within a few days. If you don’t agree, the RTA will release undisputed amounts and hold disputed amounts while the dispute process runs.

What evidence do I need when claiming against the bond? You must provide supporting evidence to the tenant within 14 days of making a claim or dispute. This can include receipts, repair quotes, invoices, photographs, or records of unpaid rent. The evidence goes to the tenant, not to the RTA. Failing to provide evidence is an offence under Section 136AA, carrying up to 20 penalty units.

What happens if I don’t respond to the tenant’s bond refund claim? If the tenant lodges a bond refund form and the RTA sends you a Notice of Claim, you have 14 days to dispute it by lodging a Dispute Resolution Request (Form 16) or responding via RTA Web Services. If you don’t respond within 14 days, the RTA will pay the bond as the tenant directed — regardless of whether you had a legitimate claim.

How long does the QCAT process take? If RTA conciliation fails, the party who lodged the dispute has 7 days to apply to QCAT. QCAT hearing timelines vary, but minor civil disputes (which includes bond matters) are typically listed within a few weeks. QCAT can make any order about bond payment it considers appropriate, taking into account each party’s compliance with the Act and the evidence provided.

Can I claim more than the bond amount if my losses exceed it? Yes. If the bond is insufficient to cover your legitimate losses — for example, if damage repair costs exceed the bond amount — you can apply to QCAT for a compensation order against the tenant for the shortfall. The bond claim and the compensation claim are separate processes.

Summary

The rental bond process in Queensland is highly regulated, with specific deadlines, prescribed forms, and penalties for non-compliance. The 2024 reforms have made the system more prescriptive — particularly around maximum bond amounts and the requirement to provide evidence when making bond claims.

For self-managing landlords, the critical points are: take no more than 4 weeks’ rent, lodge with the RTA within 10 days, keep meticulous condition reports and records, provide evidence within 14 days when claiming, and never miss the 14-day Notice of Claim response deadline or the 7-day QCAT application deadline. A single missed deadline can cost you the entire bond.

Related guides for QLD landlords

If you are building out the full landlord workflow for this state, these guides connect this page to the rest of the tenancy process.

Same-state guides

• QLD lease agreement guide
• QLD condition report guide
• QLD rent increase guide
• QLD eviction notice guide
• QLD break lease guide

Compare rental bond guides in other states

• WA rental bond guide
• NSW rental bond guide
• VIC rental bond guide
• SA rental bond guide
• Tasmania rental bond guide
• ACT rental bond guide