How bonds work in NSW

Your bond is not held by the landlord or the agent. It is lodged with NSW Fair Trading and held until the tenancy ends. Either party can claim it. That matters, because whoever claims first sets the starting position, and the other side then has to respond.

Full detail is on the NSW Government guidance on getting your bond back.

The condition report is the benchmark

Everything is measured against the condition report completed at the start of your tenancy, not against how the property would look brand new. Before you start cleaning, find your copy and read it. If the oven was marked as having burnt-on residue when you moved in, you are not required to hand it back spotless.

If you never received a condition report, or it was not completed properly, that generally works in your favour in a dispute, because the landlord carries the burden of proving the property is worse than when you took it on.

Step by step

1. Read your lease for cleaning clauses, particularly anything about carpet steam cleaning or pest treatment after pets.
2. Find your entry condition report and the photos that came with it.
3. Move everything out first. Cleaning around furniture is how marks get missed, and an empty property cleans faster.
4. Clean to the exit checklist, not to a household standard. Oven and griller, rangehood filters, inside cupboards and drawers, window tracks, skirting boards, light fittings, exhaust fans.
5. Deal with carpets if your lease requires steam cleaning, and keep the receipt.
6. Remove all rubbish, including the bins, the garage and the balcony. Rubbish removal is one of the most commonly deducted items and it is easily avoided.
7. Photograph every room on the day you hand back the keys, including inside the oven, inside cupboards and the carpets. Date-stamped photos settle most disputes.
8. Return the keys, remotes and swipe cards, and take the meter readings.
9. Claim your bond through Rental Bonds Online as soon as you hand back the keys.

What a landlord can and cannot deduct

The line between damage and fair wear and tear is where most arguments happen. A carpet worn thin in a hallway after three years is wear. A wine stain is damage. A wall that has faded is wear. A hole is damage.

How long it takes

If you and the landlord agree on the amount, a Rental Bonds Online claim is usually paid out quickly. If the other party disputes it, NSW Fair Trading notifies them and there is a period to respond before the matter can go to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT). Claiming promptly is the single most useful thing you can do.

If your bond is disputed

Do not panic and do not accept a deduction you think is wrong just to move on. Ask for itemised evidence: what the claim is for, and an invoice or quote to support it. Compare it against your entry condition report and your handover photos.

The NSW Government guidance on bond disputes explains the process. Free advice is available from your local Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service. If it cannot be resolved, either party can apply to NCAT.

The items that most often cost people their bond

What it costs, with nothing hidden

Our bond cleans are priced by bedroom count, GST included:

Every bathroom, ensuite and powder room is included at any property size, and there is no charge for extra storeys. The oven, rangehood and inside windows are part of the clean, not add-ons. Carpet steam cleaning is the main optional extra at $110 per room.

Only four things can change that price, and all four are shown before you confirm: extras you choose, a furnished property (+20%), same-day urgency (+25%), and after hours, Sunday or public holiday work (+30%). There is no call-out fee, no booking fee, no travel charge within Sydney metro, no per-bathroom fee and no equipment charge. Build your exact figure on the pricing page.

How we do it

1. You build the price yourself on the pricing page, set your property, tick any extras and see the total with GST included.
2. You pick a date and time and the booking is confirmed in writing, with the price and the scope set before the day.
3. We arrive with everything, products and equipment included. You do not need to be there as long as we have access.
4. We work the exit checklist room by room, in the order agents inspect.
5. You get the invoice and any receipts, including the carpet steam receipt if you booked one, which is what agents ask to see.
6. If your agent flags a cleaning item, tell us within 48 hours and we return within 5 business days to fix it at no cost.

Common questions

Related reading: is a professional clean required?, what happens if you do not clean, the full checklist and what a bond clean costs.