Tasmania Rental Bond Maximum Amount: How Much Can a Landlord Charge?

The Four-Week Cap Under the Residential Tenancy Act 1997

Section 25(4)(c) of the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 sets the maximum security deposit an owner can require in Tasmania at four weeks' rent. No exceptions exist for furnished properties, high-value homes or short-term leases. The cap applies to every residential tenancy covered by the Act.

The four-week figure is calculated from the base contractual rent — the amount agreed for exclusive possession. Service charges, utility contributions or gardening levies that sit outside the rent clause do not factor into the bond calculation.

Converting Monthly and Fortnightly Rent to the Bond Cap

Most tenancy agreements state rent weekly, but some use fortnightly or calendar-monthly figures. Getting the conversion wrong means either undercharging (and losing legitimate coverage) or overcharging (and committing a statutory offence).

Weekly rent — multiply by four: $500/week × 4 = $2,000 bond

Fortnightly rent — divide by two for the weekly rate, then multiply by four: $1,100/fortnight ÷ 2 = $550/week → $550 × 4 = $2,200 bond

Monthly rent — multiply by 12, divide by 52 for the weekly rate, then multiply by four: $2,166.67/month × 12 ÷ 52 = $500/week → $500 × 4 = $2,000 bond

Round down, not up. The Act sets a ceiling, and any amount over it — even by a few dollars — triggers the same penalty as a deliberate overcharge.

What About Pet Bonds?

Pet bonds are not allowed in Tasmania. The Residential Tenancy Amendment (Pets) Act 2025, which commenced on 20 March 2026, prohibits an owner from making conditional pet consent require an increase to rent or security deposit under Section 36S(4)(d). Asking for an additional pet deposit is a statutory breach regardless of how it's labelled.

Penalties for Overcharging

Requiring a security deposit that exceeds four weeks' rent is an offence under Section 25(4)(c). The maximum fine is 50 penalty units. At the current indexed value of $213 per penalty unit (2026–2027 financial year), that works out to $10,650.

The same penalty applies to collecting prohibited payments disguised as something else — key deposits, cleaning bonds, administration fees or application-processing charges are all unlawful under Section 17.

Can the Bond Be Topped Up After a Rent Increase?

A rent increase does not automatically entitle you to collect extra bond money. Section 20 allows rent increases no more than once every 12 months with at least 60 days' written notice, but any bond adjustment to match the new rent must be mutually agreed or provided for in the lease terms — and the total can never exceed four weeks of the new weekly rent.

In practice, most self-managing landlords leave the original bond in place rather than renegotiating a small top-up mid-tenancy.

Getting It Right From the Start

The bond calculation happens before you touch MyBond and before the tenant pays the Rental Deposit Authority. If the number is wrong at this stage, every downstream step inherits the error.

Our Tasmania Rental Bond Guide includes a bond calculation worksheet that walks through the conversion for every rent frequency, so the figure you enter into MyBond is correct the first time.

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