An RTA bond refund is the process of getting your rental bond back in Queensland. The Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) holds all bonds, not the agent, and either you or the agent can request the refund once the tenancy ends. If all parties agree, the refund can be processed within hours. If the agent claims part of the bond, you have 14 days to dispute it.
This guide explains how to claim your bond online or using Form 4, the expected timeframes for each step, how to check your refund status, and what to do if the agent makes a claim on your bond. RTA here means Queensland's authority. In New South Wales, bonds are managed through Rental Bonds Online, which is covered in our NSW bond guide. Every state and territory is compared in how long it takes to get your bond back.
Last reviewed 21 September 2026 against the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (Qld), the RTA's bond refund pages and QCAT's fees from 1 July 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
How do I get my bond back from the RTA?
To get your bond back, submit a bond refund request to the RTA on or after the day your tenancy ends. Most people apply online via RTA Web Services. Either you or the agent can lodge the request, specifying how the bond should be divided. The RTA then asks everyone else named on the bond whether they agree.
- Agree on the bond split before handover day if possible. The RTA says over two-thirds of the refund requests it receives are already agreed by everyone, and those are paid fastest.
- Photograph every room after cleaning. Take a wide shot of each room, close-ups of existing wear, and the areas agents inspect closely, like ovens, shower screens and window tracks. The end of lease cleaning checklist follows the same room order, and the sample report shows a finished photo set.
- Submit your exit condition report with the keys. Complete Form 14a, keep a copy and note the date you handed it over. Our guide to the RTA exit condition report (Form 14a) shows how to fill it in.
- Make sure the RTA has your current details: forwarding address, email, phone number and bank account.
- Lodge your refund request on or after your handover day. The RTA won't accept requests before your notice period ends, and the online form won't accept a handover date in the future.
- Ask your housemates to watch their email. Everyone on the bond receives a fast track email and has 48 hours to agree. If one person doesn't respond, the whole refund goes down the 14-day Notice of claim path.
- Respond to every RTA email or letter by the date on it. Every deadline runs from an RTA email or letter: 48 hours for the fast track, 14 days for a Notice of claim and 7 days to apply to QCAT.
What do you need to lodge an RTA bond refund online?
You need a Queensland Digital Identity (QDI) login, which replaced the old QGov login, plus your bond number, your handover or vacate date, a separate email address for each tenant on the bond, and your bank account details. The RTA only refunds to Australian bank accounts and doesn't issue cheques. If you can't verify your identity for a QDI, you can still respond to the RTA's emails or use the paper form.
When do you need the paper Form 4?
Use the paper Refund of rental bond (Form 4) when the online system can't handle your situation: tenants who share one email address, a claim for only your share while others stay on the bond, a deceased estate, or a new agreement reached after an online request was already lodged. Post the form to the RTA at GPO Box 390, Brisbane Q 4001. The RTA doesn't accept emailed or photocopied forms. Never sign a Form 4 with the amounts left blank.
If you're leaving because of domestic and family violence, there is a separate Form 4a for claiming your own share.
Should you lodge first or wait for the agent?
If you and the agent haven't agreed by handover day, lodge your own RTA bond refund request that day. Tenants Queensland recommends this because the RTA acts on the first refund request it receives, and only one online request can be open on a bond at a time.
Lodging first matters because a request nobody challenges gets paid. If yours is first, the agent must dispute it within 14 days, take part in conciliation and then apply to QCAT, or you receive what you asked for. If the agent's request is first, those steps fall on you. Claim only what you believe you're owed. Giving the RTA false or misleading information on purpose is an offence.
How long does an RTA bond refund take?
An agreed RTA bond refund lodged online can be paid within hours, and the RTA asks you to allow up to 3 business days for the money to reach your bank. If the agent doesn't respond, expect about three weeks: 48 hours of fast track, a 14-day Notice of claim, then 2 to 3 business days for payment. Disputed refunds take longer.
← Swipe horizontally to view table →
| Path | What happens | Total time |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone agrees online | All parties accept the fast track email and the RTA releases the bond | Within hours of the last person agreeing, plus up to 3 business days to reach your bank |
| The agent lodges and returns 100% to the tenants | Paid automatically. The tenants don't need to agree | Up to 3 business days |
| Everyone signs one paper Form 4 | The RTA processes it the day it arrives | Postage time, plus up to 3 business days |
| The other side never answers | 48 hours of fast track, a 14-day Notice of claim, then payment as the first request asked | About 3 weeks |
| The claim is disputed | The undisputed part is released. The rest is held while you wait for conciliation, which averages 2 to 3 weeks | Up to about 5 weeks from lodging to conciliation |
| Conciliation fails | 7 days to apply to QCAT, which sets its own hearing date | No published timeframe |
The totals add together the RTA's published figures from its pages on bond refunds, the Notice of claim and the online bond refund service, read on 21 September 2026.
A Notice of claim sent by post gets extra days for delivery. If your refund seems delayed, check that everyone on the bond has responded to the RTA.
How do I check the status of my RTA bond refund?
You can check the status of an RTA bond refund through the emails the RTA sends you, or by calling 1300 366 311 with your bond number. RTA Web Services has no status lookup for tenants, and its bond search service is only open to agents and organisations. The RTA emails you at each stage, as long as it has your email address.
← Swipe horizontally to view table →
| What the RTA sent you | What it means | Your deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Bond refund fast track email | A refund request was lodged and the RTA is asking whether you agree | 11:00pm on the second day after it was lodged |
| Notice of claim, by email or letter | Not everyone agreed in time, so the formal notice period has started | 14 days to lodge a dispute resolution request, or the bond is paid as requested |
| Acknowledgment of dispute | A dispute case is open and the disputed amount is on hold | None yet. An RTA officer will contact you |
| Notice of unresolved dispute | Conciliation ended without agreement | 7 days to apply to QCAT, for whoever lodged the dispute request |
| Payment confirmation email | The refund has been paid | Allow up to 3 business days for it to reach your bank |
If you haven't received any emails, work through these steps.
- Search your inbox and junk folder for emails from addresses ending in @rta.qld.gov.au. The RTA says its official emails only ever come from that domain.
- Check the RTA has your current details. If you haven't consented to email notices, the Notice of claim is posted to the address the RTA has on file, which may be the place you just left. Update your details in RTA Web Services.
- Call the RTA Contact Centre on 1300 366 311, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm. A free interpreter service is available on this number.
How do you find your bond number?
Your RTA bond number is on the Acknowledgement of rental bond that the RTA sent you, by email or post, at the start of your tenancy. Search your email for "rental bond". If you can't find it, ask your agent or contact the RTA.
What if the refund was approved but no money arrived?
An RTA bond refund can fail to arrive when your bank or contact details with the RTA are out of date. The money then stays with the RTA as an outstanding bond payment. If you know your bond number, update your details in RTA Web Services and the RTA will refund the payment automatically. If you don't, use the RTA's outstanding bond payments enquiry form. Most enquiries are answered by email within two weeks. The RTA can't confirm outstanding payments by phone.
What happens if the agent makes an RTA bond claim?
If the agent requests part of your bond, you receive a fast track email and have 48 hours to agree or disagree. If you disagree or don't respond, the RTA issues a Notice of claim, giving you 14 days to request dispute resolution. If you don't respond to that, the bond is paid as the agent requested.
Clicking "disagree" on the fast track email alone is not a dispute. You must respond to the Notice of claim and formally request dispute resolution, online or on the form attached to the notice.
Only the disputed portion is held. For example, if the agent claims $600 of a $2,400 bond, the RTA releases the other $1,800 while the $600 is disputed.
The 14-day period is set by section 136A of the RTRA Act. If the agent only emails you a list of deductions and lodges nothing with the RTA, no deadline is running, and you can lodge your own request.
What evidence does the agent have to give you?
Under section 136AA of the RTRA Act, an agent or owner claiming on a bond, or disputing your refund request, must give you supporting evidence within 14 days. The Act's examples are receipts, repair quotes and records of unpaid rent. The maximum penalty is 20 penalty units, which is $3,454 at the 2026-27 value of $172.70 a unit. The rule started on 30 September 2024, and since 30 September 2025 it has applied to all bonds.
The evidence must be given to you, not to the RTA. There's an exception if the agent made reasonable efforts to contact you and couldn't, so keep your contact details current.
Don't wait for the evidence before you dispute. The two 14-day periods (the Notice of claim and the evidence deadline) are separate. Missing the Notice of claim deadline means the money goes to the owner even if no evidence was provided. If no evidence arrives within 14 days, ask for it by email, then request an investigation from the RTA. The RTA announced in August 2026 that missing bond claim evidence is its investigation priority for July to September 2026. It only checks whether evidence was provided on time. Whether the evidence is good enough is decided in conciliation or at QCAT. An email like this is enough:
"I refer to the claim on the rental bond for [address], bond number [number], lodged with the RTA on [date]. Section 136AA of the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 requires the lessor to give the tenant evidence supporting a claim on the bond within 14 days. Please email me the evidence for each amount claimed, such as invoices, quotes, photos and rent records."
How does RTA dispute resolution work?
The RTA dispute resolution service offers free, confidential conciliation by phone. A conciliator talks with you and the agent, separately or together, to help you reach an agreement. Conciliators are neutral and don't decide who is right. Participation is voluntary, and the RTA says it resolves over 75% of disputes where both sides take part.
After you lodge a dispute request, the RTA holds the disputed amount and contacts all parties. The average wait for conciliation is 2 to 3 weeks, and the request form asks whether you need an interpreter.
Before the call, gather your entry and exit condition reports, dated photos from handover day, cleaning receipts, rent records and any evidence from the agent. The RTA recommends sharing your documents with the other party beforehand. Decide in advance the amount you would accept. Our guide to phone photos as evidence in a bond dispute explains why photos sent through messaging apps often lose their date.
If you reach an agreement, everyone signs a paper Form 4 and the RTA pays out the bond. If you don't, or one party refuses or misses the call, the RTA issues a Notice of unresolved dispute. Under section 413 of the Act, nothing said in conciliation can be used as evidence at QCAT.
For free advice before conciliation, contact Tenants Queensland's statewide service, QSTARS, on 1300 744 263. Interpreters are available.
When does a bond dispute go to QCAT?
A bond dispute goes to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) only after RTA conciliation has ended without agreement. The person who lodged the dispute resolution request then has 7 days from receiving the Notice of unresolved dispute to apply to QCAT, and must tell the RTA in writing. If they don't apply, the RTA pays the bond as the first refund request asked.
The 7-day deadline is set by section 136B of the RTRA Act. Under section 136C, you can ask the RTA in writing, within the 7 days, for up to 3 extra days if there's a good reason, such as being in hospital. You apply through QCAT's online portal, QCase, or on its Form 2, and attach the notice. If the application is withdrawn or dismissed, the RTA pays the bond as first requested.
From 1 July 2026 the QCAT application fee is $96.30 for a claim of $1,000 or less and $164.30 for a claim over $1,000 and up to $10,000. QCAT can waive a fee for financial hardship.
Under section 136D, QCAT can make any order about the bond it considers appropriate, having regard to three things: the efforts you made to leave the property in the condition section 188(4) requires, whether you and the owner complied with the Act, and the evidence supporting the claim. You show each of those with documents: the two condition reports, dated photos and receipts.
What is fair wear and tear in Queensland?
Fair wear and tear is the natural deterioration of a property from normal use and ageing, and in Queensland tenants don't pay for it. Section 188(4) of the RTRA Act says you must leave the premises, as far as possible, in the same condition as at the start, fair wear and tear excepted.
The RTA's examples include carpet worn from daily use, carpet pile flattened by furniture, paint and curtains faded by sunlight, and plaster cracks as a building settles. Dirt, grease, grime and damage, including damage by an approved pet, are not fair wear and tear.
The comparison is made between your entry and exit condition reports (Form 14a). Under section 66(3) of the Act, the agent has 3 business days after receiving your signed report to sign it, mark anything they disagree with and send a copy to your forwarding address. Keep your own copy and your photos.
If you did cause damage, the owner can only claim the actual loss, so the item's age matters. Our guide to fair wear and tear vs damage has 40 examples and explains the age calculation, and end of lease cleaning requirements covers what tenants must and needn't clean.
Frequently asked questions
Related guides
- How to get your bond back in Australia: a step-by-step guide for every state and territoryGet your bond back in any Australian state or territory: where to apply, what you need, whether the agent must sign, and what happens if it's disputed.
- RTA exit condition report (Form 14a): how to fill it in, when to hand it over, and the entry report (Form 1a)How to fill in Queensland's RTA exit condition report (Form 14a), when to hand it over, the agent's 3 business days, and how it's checked against Form 1a.
- How long does it take to get your bond back? Every state and territory comparedHow long does a bond refund take? Time frames for every state and territory: agreed refunds, the 14-day notice, disputes, and what to do when it is late.
Returning keys in Queensland this week?
Photograph every room with times and locations, then lock your report before the agent's final inspection, so you have a dated record of the property's condition.
Start Free Inspection Audit