Tasmania Rental Bond Compliance Checklist for Landlords

Why a Checklist Beats Memory

Tasmanian bond law is not complicated, but it is sequential. Miss one step — a receipt, a condition report, a three-day claim window — and the consequences compound. A landlord who skipped the entry condition report discovers the gap six or twelve months later, at the worst possible time: when the tenant has moved out, the carpet is stained, and the Residential Tenancy Commissioner wants baseline evidence that does not exist.

A compliance checklist turns the bond lifecycle into a series of confirmable steps. Each one either happened or it did not, and you know before the next phase begins.

Phase 1: Before the Tenant Moves In

These steps happen between signing the tenancy agreement and the tenant taking possession.

• Verify the bond amount does not exceed four weeks' rent (Section 25(1)). Calculate using the correct frequency: weekly rent × 4, fortnightly ÷ 2 × 4, or monthly × 12 ÷ 52 × 4.
• Confirm no prohibited payments are being collected — no key deposits, no cleaning deposits, no application fees, no pet bonds (Section 17; the Residential Tenancy Amendment (Pets) Act 2025 explicitly bans additional bond for pets under Section 36R).
• Register a MyBond account if you do not already have one, with two-factor authentication via mobile or email.
• Confirm the tenant has registered their own MyBond account and obtained their Tenant ID — you need this to create the lodgement.
• If a deposit contributor is paying all or part of the bond, enter the contributor's reference details during lodgement creation, not afterwards.

Phase 2: Collecting and Lodging the Bond

• Issue a written receipt on the day you receive the bond money — listing the amount, date, full legal names of all contributing tenants, property address, and a statement identifying the payment as a security deposit (Section 21).
• Create the lodgement in MyBond — enter property details, lease start date, weekly rent, total bond, and tenant details.
• Lodge promptly — private landlords who receive bond funds directly should lodge immediately, within the two-to-three business-day operational window. Property agents have 10 working days from receipt (Section 25(3)). Working days exclude weekends and Tasmanian public holidays.
• Confirm the Bond Lodgement Certificate has been issued by the Rental Deposit Authority to all parties.

Phase 3: Condition Report

• Complete the entry condition report within two days of the tenant taking possession (Section 26) — documenting the condition, cleanliness, and state of repair of every room, fixture, and fitting.
• Provide two signed copies to the tenant within that same two-day period.
• Allow the tenant two days to inspect, amend, and return one copy — note any amendments the tenant adds, sign the amended version, and file it.
• Photograph every room on the same day as the report — timestamped photos corroborate the written report if a dispute reaches the Commissioner.

Phase 4: During the Tenancy

• Keep the condition report and Bond Lodgement Certificate in your tenancy file — you will need both at the end of the tenancy.
• If rent increases, the bond cap recalculates to four weeks of the new rent. Any adjustment must be agreed with the tenant or provided for in the lease terms, and cannot exceed the four-week cap (Section 20 governs rent increases: 60 days' written notice, once per 12 months).
• If a tenant leaves a shared house and a new tenant moves in, execute a formal Tenant Transfer — Swap or Variation in MyBond. Private bond settlements outside MyBond leave the official bond record inaccurate and can make it harder to enforce a claim against the correct tenants.

Phase 5: End of Tenancy

• Conduct the exit inspection on the day the tenant returns the keys — compare every line of the condition report against the property's current state.
• Photograph the exit condition using the same angles and rooms as the entry photos.
• Start the bond claim in MyBond within three working days of receiving the keys (Section 28), or give the tenant written notice explaining a delay — specify the amount you want to retain and the reasons.
• If claiming for damage, calculate deductions using ATO depreciation schedules for the affected items. The Commissioner will not award full replacement cost for an item that has used most of its useful life.
• Wait for the tenant's response — after the RDA sends formal notice, they have 10 days to approve or dispute the claim.

Phase 6: If the Claim Is Disputed

• Prepare a written evidence bundle for the Residential Tenancy Commissioner: signed entry and exit condition reports, timestamped photographs, invoices or quotes for repairs, depreciation calculations, and the tenancy agreement.
• Submit the bundle by the Commissioner's deadline — the RTC determines bond disputes through a paper-based process.
• If the Commissioner's determination goes against you, the appeal deadline is seven days to the Magistrates Court of Tasmania (Civil Division) under Section 48J.

The Dates That Matter

Our Tasmania Rental Bond Guide includes a printable version of this compliance checklist with date-entry fields for each phase, plus the MyBond walkthrough and evidence templates you need at each step.

See more Tasmania guides →