How long does it take to get your bond back? Every state and territory compared

How long it takes to get your bond back in Australia depends on which of three things happens. If you and the landlord or agent agree, the refund usually reaches your bank within one to three business days. If you submit a claim and the other party does not respond, expect about 14 days plus payment time. If the claim is disputed, the process can take weeks or even months.

This guide sets out the bond refund time frame for every state and territory, linking each figure to the Act or to the government agency that holds the bond. It also explains how long a landlord has to return a bond, and what steps to take if your refund is delayed. Detailed instructions for two states are in our bond refund NSW guide and our RTA bond refund guide for Queensland.

Last updated 22 September 2026. Every time frame below was checked on the regulator's website or in the Act on that date. This is general information, not legal advice.

How long does it take to get your bond back in each state?

An agreed bond refund takes from a few hours to about five working days, depending on the state. A claim the other side ignores takes about 14 days plus payment time almost everywhere. The table shows both time frames for each state and territory, and who holds the money.

Sources, all read 22 September 2026: NSW Government, Consumer Affairs Victoria, RTA Queensland, CBS South Australia, Consumer Protection WA, CBOS Tasmania and Service Tasmania, ACT Revenue Office, Residential Tenancies Act 1999 (NT) section 112.

Each figure above belongs to one of three clocks: processing and bank transfer time after everyone agrees; the notice period the law gives the other party to answer a one-sided claim (14 days in six of the eight jurisdictions); and the wait for a tribunal or decision-maker once someone disputes. A page that gives one number for "how long does a bond refund take" is usually describing only one of these.

The table keeps each regulator's wording. "14 days" means calendar days. "Business days" and "working days" exclude weekends and public holidays, which matters most in the Northern Territory, where the Act says 7 business days but some websites shorten this to 7 days.

How long does a landlord have to return a bond?

In most of Australia the landlord has no deadline to return your bond, because the landlord does not hold it. A government agency holds the bond, and you can request the refund directly once the tenancy ends. Four jurisdictions do set a deadline for the landlord or agent:

• Northern Territory: 7 business days after you give up vacant possession to pay the bond back, or to give you written notice of what they are keeping, with a statutory declaration and receipts. The maximum penalty is 20 penalty units (Residential Tenancies Act 1999 (NT), section 112).
• Tasmania: the owner must give you a signed claim form no more than 3 working days after the tenancy ends (Residential Tenancy Act 1997 (Tas), section 28).
• ACT: the lessor must give you the signed bond release application within 3 working days, or 10 working days if they are claiming for repairs or restoration (Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (ACT), section 34).
• Victoria: the rental provider must start a claim with the RTBA within 14 days of the agreement ending, unless the renter claims first (Consumer Affairs Victoria).

NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia set no such deadline. South Australia's regulator says it plainly: "there is no time frame to submit a bond claim", and the bond stays lodged until someone claims it. If you are asking "how long can a landlord hold your bond", or how long a real estate agent can hold a bond, in one of those states, the answer is that they never hold it. When the agent is slow, lodge your own claim and the 14-day clock starts that day.

How long does a bond refund take, state by state?

Each state and territory runs its own bond system, so the bond refund time frame depends on where the rental property is, even if you have since moved interstate. The summaries below add the rules that do not fit in the table.

How long does a bond refund take in NSW?

In NSW, Fair Trading holds the bond. Claim it on Rental Bonds Online once you have handed back the keys. The NSW Government says you should get your bond back in two business days after the agent accepts, and that Fair Trading pays an unanswered claim after 14 days. Full steps, including the evidence a landlord must give you within 7 days, are in our bond refund NSW guide.

How long does a bond refund take in Victoria?

In Victoria, the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA) holds the bond and usually repays an accepted claim within one business day. If you start the claim yourself, the rental provider has 14 days to contest it through RDRV or VCAT. Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria tells renters to allow 15 to 20 business days for the money to arrive by this route. Since 25 November 2025 a rental provider who plans to claim on the bond must tell you in advance and give evidence.

How long does a bond refund take in Queensland?

In Queensland (QLD), the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) holds the bond. Bond Refund Fast Track gives everyone on the bond 48 hours to agree, and an agreed bond "can be refunded within hours". If someone disagrees or stays silent, the RTA sends a Notice of claim with 14 days to request dispute resolution, then pays the first request if nobody does. Full steps, including the agent's 14-day evidence duty, are in our RTA bond refund guide.

How long does a bond refund take in South Australia?

In South Australia (SA), Consumer and Business Services (CBS) holds the bond. CBS says an undisputed refund "can be processed through RBO within 5 working days", then takes 24 to 48 hours by bank transfer or 5 to 10 business days by cheque. If the agent ignores your claim for 14 days, you are paid the amount claimed. Each counter-offer runs for 10 days, and up to seven are allowed before the matter must go to SACAT.

How long does a bond refund take in Western Australia?

In Western Australia (WA), Bonds Administration holds the bond, and the process changed on 28 March 2026: tenants can now apply for the release themselves. Everyone else on the bond usually gets 14 days to reply. If anyone disputes or stays silent, the application goes to the Commissioner for Consumer Protection instead of being paid. If anyone on the bond has moved interstate, the Commissioner may be unable to decide and the dispute goes to the Magistrates Court. Tenants apply on a paper form, and Consumer Protection says manual applications currently take up to 4 weeks to process.

How long does a bond refund take in Tasmania?

In Tasmania, the Rental Deposit Authority holds the bond, and claims run through MyBond. The owner or agent must start a claim within three working days of getting the keys back. If they have not, you can, and Service Tasmania says an undisputed tenant claim is paid automatically 14 days after it was made. Either side has 10 days to lodge a dispute. CBOS says to allow three to five days for the bank.

How long does a bond refund take in the ACT?

In the ACT, ACT Rental Bonds (part of the ACT Revenue Office) holds the bond. If you lodge the refund form alone, the lessor or agent gets a Bond Refund Notice and 14 days to respond, and an undisputed request is paid as claimed. The office says completed forms are processed within 14 days and to allow up to 48 hours for the bank. A disputed refund is referred to ACAT, and any undisputed part is refunded at that stage.

How long does a bond refund take in the Northern Territory?

The Northern Territory has no bond authority. The landlord or agent holds your security deposit in trust and must pay it back within 7 business days after you give up vacant possession, less anything they are entitled to keep. To keep any of it they must give you written notice in that time, with a statutory declaration and receipts. With no notice, you can apply to NTCAT for the bond (sections 112 and 113).

How long does a disputed bond refund take?

A disputed bond refund takes weeks at best and can take months, because the bond is frozen until there is an agreement, an order or a decision. Five jurisdictions publish a time frame for the dispute stage. None publishes an average for bond disputes alone, so read these as guides.

Sources, read 22 September 2026: NCAT fact sheet (May 2025), Tenants Victoria on RDRV, RTA, QCAT timeframes (figures at 16 March 2026), Law Handbook SA, Consumer Protection WA.

A dispute can end quickly if both parties agree: in the ACT the disputed part "can be refunded at any time" once you lodge a form signed by everyone, and in Western Australia you can lodge a new agreed form any time before the Commissioner decides.

Why is my bond refund taking so long?

A bond refund usually runs late for one of seven reasons: nobody has lodged a claim, the agent is stalling, the 14-day notice period is still running, a co-tenant has not responded, the bank details are wrong, the claim went by paper or post, or the money is going overseas. Most of these you can fix yourself.

1. Nobody has lodged a claim. A bond authority does not pay out until someone claims. The money stays lodged until the tenant or the landlord asks for it, so check your bond account before you chase the agent.
2. The agent is stalling. Tenants on Australian forums describe agents who stop answering, say the owner has to approve first, or tell them not to lodge until after the inspection. In every state with a bond authority you can lodge without the agent's signature or the owner's approval.
3. The notice period is still running. After a one-sided claim the other side has 14 days in most states, so a wait of about two weeks is normal.
4. A co-tenant has not responded. Everyone named on the bond has to accept an agreed refund. One housemate who ignores the email turns a one-day refund into a 14-day one.
5. Your bank details are wrong or missing. The RTBA holds a repayment until it has valid account details. In South Australia a refund with no bank details sits as an 'Approved Refund' for 90 days, then becomes unclaimed money.
6. The claim went by paper or post. Western Australia quotes up to 4 weeks for manual applications and adds six days to notices sent by post. Victoria stretches its 14 days to 20 for postal notices.
7. You have moved overseas. The RTBA pays international accounts. South Australia takes international transfer fees out of the bond and advises tenants to keep an Australian account open until the refund arrives.

If the bond was never lodged, there is nothing to release. In Western Australia, Consumer Protection takes complaints about unlodged bonds on 1300 30 40 54.

How to get your bond back faster

The fastest bond refund is an agreed one, paid within hours to two business days in the three largest states. The next fastest is a claim you lodge yourself, which starts the 14-day clock on the day you lodge it. This is what to do, and when.

1. Before you move out. Check your contact and bank details in the bond system. Keep the entry condition report, fill in the exit condition report, and take dated photos of every room. Our end of lease cleaning checklist covers what agents look at, and the guide on phone photos as evidence explains how to keep the dates intact.
2. The day you hand back the keys. Lodge your own claim. In NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT you can claim once the tenancy has ended. In Tasmania you can claim if the owner has not claimed within 3 working days.
3. If the agent hands you a form. Never sign a blank or half-filled bond form. The ACT Revenue Office tells tenants not to sign a refund form before the amounts are entered, and the Tenants' Union of NSW gives the same advice. A form signed early can be lodged with deductions you never agreed to.
4. If you owe part of the bond. Claim the rest. An agreed amount moves in days, and only the part in dispute has to wait. The fair wear and tear guide helps you decide which deductions to accept and which to contest.
5. Days 1 to 14. Answer every notice the day it arrives. Queensland's fast track email expires after 48 hours, and a Notice of claim gives you 14 days. In South Australia a tenant who stays silent can see the agent's claim paid on the agent's evidence alone.
6. Day 15 onwards. An undisputed claim is now paid. Allow up to 3 business days for the bank in Queensland, three to five days in Tasmania and up to 48 hours in the ACT. If nothing arrives after that, check the bank details in your bond account, then contact the bond authority.