FAQs On Rental Bonds Online For Tenants In Melbourne

FAQs On Rental Bonds Online For Tenants In Melbourne

By : angila
Renting a house in Melbourne comes with certain responsibilities and regulations. As a tenant, you must know about rental bonds that must be paid at the beginning of the tenancy as a security deposit. The bond is usually a month’s rent and is lodged with the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA). It can be paid online, which makes the process easy and fast. The landlord can withhold the bond if the tenant damages the property, leaves it unclean or has unpaid dues. Thus, most tenants rely on end of lease cleaners to get the bond back without disputes. If you plan to lease a house, read the FAQs on rental bonds online for tenants in Melbourne given below. It will help you to prepare for the journey ahead and be equipped with all the information.

Q1. What is Rental Bonds Online?

Rental bonds online is a secure online platform for lodging the rental bond using an electronic transaction. They hold residential tenancy bonds in trust across Victoria until it is claimed. Tenants can also use the web-generated form, which is not recommended because the RTBA is transforming into a digital-only platform. Bond lodgements, repayments and transfers can be done electronically on the website without any hassles. Tenants cannot lodge the bond. It must be lodged by the property manager, landlord or real estate agent. Tenants must hire end of lease cleaning in Melbourne experts to save the bond amount from getting cut or going into dispute.

Q2. How To Lodge Rental Bond Online in Melbourne?

The tenant pays the bond to the landlord, who lodges it with the RTBA. For lodgement, they must visit RTBA Online and click ‘Lodge a Bond’ on the menu bar on the left side of the page. Fill out the rented property details, such as the complete address of the rental property. The next step is to fill in tenant details and then confirm the information to generate the form. Note down the transaction number that appears on the confirmation page. RTBA will then email the tenant a link to confirm the lodgement. After confirmation, the amount will be debited from the nominated account, and a confirmation email for the lodgement will be sent to the tenant.

Q3. What to Do if the Tenant Does Not Get the Bond Receipt?

The tenants must receive the bond receipt within 15 business days of the lodgement. However, if it is not received, the tenant must contact the RTBA on 1300 137 164. Also, to ensure you get the bond amount back at the end of the tenancy, choose a professional house cleaning service instead of relying on your skills.

Q4. How Does Rental Bonds Online Help Tenants in Melbourne?

Tenants have several benefits of lodging rental bonds online in Melbourne, such as:
  • Same-day processing of the bond without any delay
  • Easy reviewing of the details and status of the bond online
  • Tenants need not provide their signatures, making it hassle-free
  • The bond amount gets debited from the tenant’s account after they provide the account details
  • Same-day bond refund once the landlord is satisfied with the vacate cleaning in Melbourne of the rented property and confirms the claim.
 

Q5. Who Can Claim the Bond Refund?

The tenant or the landlord can make the bond claim to get the refund within 24 hours using rental bonds online. However, the landlord or the property manager can make a claim only when the tenant has agreed on the distribution of the money. The claim must be made within 10 business days after the end of the tenancy. If the landlord makes a claim, the RTBA sends an email and text message to the tenant with a link to check the claim and provide their confirmation. When tenants start the claim, the processing time takes a bit longer because the RTBA sends a written notice to the landlord. They are given 14 days to contest the claim. If they don’t act, the bond is refunded to the tenant.

Q6. What to Do In Case of Rental Bond Dispute in Melbourne?

While the landlord can withhold the bond for several reasons, most bond disputes occur because the tenant does not reasonably clean the property. Thus, hiring expert cleaners in Melbourne makes sense for the task. If there is a bond dispute, any of the two parties can apply to Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) for a hearing to resolve it. The condition report prepared at the beginning of the tenancy is used as evidence during the hearing. Therefore, both parties must take pictures of the property when moving in, and tenants hire professionals who provide a bond back guarantee.

Q7. Can a tenant transfer the existing bond lodged on paper to RBO?

Yes, tenants/ renters can transfer their existing bond lodged on paper to Rental Bonds Online (RBO). However, tenants and landlords must agree to the transfer and initiate the process together on the RBO platform. Transferring an existing paper-based bond to the Rental Bond Online comes with several benefits, such as:
  • Reduced paperwork
  • Organised bond management
  • Increased security for both parties, etc
  If you are a renter, you can conveniently access information about bonds, initiate refund requests and also resolve rental disputes in no time. This will enhance the overall rental experience.

How Does RTBA Repay The Bond?

In this process, you must submit a bond refund request via the RTBA portal or fill out a form. Once the request is approved, the RTBA will transfer the bond funds back to your bank account. This ensures transparent and fair handling of bond refunds according to the tenancy laws and regulations in Victoria.

Wrapping Up

Rental bonds are not challenging to manage and claim. Tenants must know the terms and conditions. Using rental bonds online is the best way to review and check the status of the bond at any time.