Excess Bond Refund and Form 4b in Queensland

Before 30 September 2024, Queensland landlords charging more than $700 per week in rent could collect an unlimited bond. That exception is gone. The RTRA Act now caps every general tenancy bond at four weeks' rent, regardless of the rental amount.

That created a problem: existing bonds could exceed the new cap. After an eligible renewal, Form 4b is one way tenants can request the excess — and landlords need to understand how it works.

Why Excess Bonds Exist

The September 2024 amendments abolished the high-rent exception under Sections 111 and 112 of the RTRA Act. A property renting at $1,200 per week previously had a six-week bond of $7,200 lodged with the RTA. Under the new uniform cap, the maximum is $4,800 (four weeks at $1,200).

The surplus $2,400 is an excess bond. After the tenancy is renewed after 30 September 2024 and the renewed term has commenced, the tenant can request the excess, subject to the Form 4b requirements.

An excess can be claimed through Form 4b when a tenancy is renewed after 30 September 2024 and the current bond then exceeds four weeks' rent at the renewed rate.

How Form 4b Works

Form 4b — Excess Bond Refund for Tenants — is a tenant-initiated form for an eligible renewal. The tenancy agreement must have been renewed after 30 September 2024 and the renewed tenancy must have commenced; the current bond must exceed four weeks of current rent; the tenancy must not have ended or be moving to a new property. All bond contributors must sign. The process:

1. The tenant submits Form 4b to the RTA, identifying the excess amount
2. The RTA verifies the current weekly rent against the bond held
3. If the bond exceeds four weeks of the current rent, the RTA refunds the difference directly to the tenant's nominated bank account
4. The remaining bond (capped at four weeks) stays with the RTA as normal

The landlord does not need to sign or consent to a Form 4b refund, but all bond contributors must sign. This differs from a standard Form 4 refund, where a unilateral claim triggers the 14-day Notice of Claim process.

When Tenants Typically File

The trigger is a tenancy renewal after 30 September 2024. Once the renewed tenancy has commenced, the tenant can request a refund if the held amount exceeds four weeks of the current rent.

The form cannot be lodged before the renewed tenancy starts or after the tenancy ends. If the tenant is moving to a new property, Form 4b does not apply. All bond contributors must sign the request.

What This Means for Landlords

You cannot block an eligible refund. The Form 4b process does not require your agreement. If the tenancy was renewed after 30 September 2024, the renewed term has started, the tenancy is still current, the current bond exceeds four weeks' rent, and all bond contributors sign, the RTA will refund the excess.

Your remaining bond protection is unchanged. After the excess is returned, you still hold a full four-week bond with the RTA. This is the maximum the law allows for any general tenancy, so your security position is no worse than any other Queensland landlord's.

Do not collect top-ups to replace the excess. Requesting a bond top-up to restore the bond to its previous (now illegal) level would violate Section 146 of the RTRA Act. The maximum penalty for demanding excess bond is 20 penalty units ($3,454 at the 2026–27 rate).

Update your records. When the RTA processes a Form 4b, the bond amount on the RTA's register drops to the new capped figure. Make sure your own records — lease file, bond tracking log, property management spreadsheet — reflect the reduced amount. At the end of the tenancy, a Form 4 refund will be calculated against the reduced figure.

Preventing Excess Bonds on New Tenancies

For any new tenancy agreement signed after 30 September 2024, the four-week cap applies from day one. Calculate the maximum bond as exactly four times the agreed weekly rent. If the tenancy involves a moveable dwelling, the cap is two weeks (or three weeks for a long tenancy if electricity is individually metered and billed in the lessor's name).

For subsidised employer accommodation, the cap is $400 or four weeks' rent, whichever is greater.

The Queensland Rental Bond Guide includes a bond calculation worksheet that accounts for the current cap rules across all tenancy types, so the correct maximum is clear before a tenant moves in.

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