What to do now
If the tenancy has ended and the landlord or agent will not return the bond:
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Lodge your own refund the day keys go back. The RTA holds the bond, not the landlord. Use RTA Web Services (online bond refund) with a Queensland Digital Identity (QDI), or post a paper Refund of rental bond (Form 4) to RTA, GPO Box 390, Brisbane Q 4001. Emailed or photocopied paper Form 4s are not accepted. The RTA will not accept a request before the tenancy has ended (the expiry date of a Notice to leave Form 12, Notice of intention to leave Form 13, or Abandonment termination notice Form 15). Web Services will not let you lodge a future handover date.
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If they claimed cleaning with no invoice, do not wait for their paperwork. Two 14-day clocks can run at once, and they are not the same:
- Notice of claim: If you disagree, lodge a Dispute resolution request (Form 16) or dispute online via Web Services within 14 days. If nobody lodges Form 16 in time, the RTA pays the bond as the first request directed, even if the agent never sent evidence.
- Supporting evidence: When a property manager or owner claims or disputes a bond, they must give supporting evidence to the tenant within 14 days (receipts, repair quotes, unpaid-rent records). It goes to you, not to the RTA. Failure is an offence with a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units under section 136AA of the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (Qld). Check the current Queensland penalty-unit amount on an official source rather than an old dollar figure. You can request an RTA investigation if nothing arrived. The RTA investigates whether evidence was given in time, not whether a quote is fair.
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Agreed payouts are meant to be fast. The RTA says it aims to process an agreed refund the same day it is received. Allow up to 3 business days for funds to reach an Australian bank account (no cheques). Online fast track gives the other parties 48 hours (until 11:00pm on the second day) to agree.
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If Form 16 is lodged, RTA conciliation is free. The RTA currently quotes an average wait of about 2 to 3 weeks. If talks fail, it issues a Notice of unresolved dispute. For a bond dispute you then apply to QCAT within 7 days of that notice, and tell the RTA in writing that you have applied. Non-urgent tenancy disputes go through RTA dispute resolution before QCAT. QCAT residential tenancy application fees as at 1 July 2026: not more than $1,000 is $96.30; more than $1,000 but not more than $10,000 is $164.30; more than $10,000 is $405.60; no amount claimed is $119.00. Confirm on the QCAT fees page. Fee waivers exist for financial hardship.
Worked example
Priya handed back the keys on Friday and lodged an online refund for the full bond that afternoon. On Monday the agency claimed $480 for an "end of lease clean" with no invoice. Priya received a Notice of claim.
She did two things the same week. She disputed the Notice of claim so the 14-day payout clock would not run out. She also asked the agency in writing for the invoice, quotes, and exit photos. Nothing arrived within 14 days of their claim, so she lodged an RTA investigation request about the missing evidence. The investigation is about the offence. It does not replace Form 16. If she had only waited for evidence, the RTA could still have paid the $480 as the agency directed.
Who holds the bond in Queensland
The Residential Tenancies Authority holds rental bonds under the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (Qld). Landlords and agents cannot keep the bond in their own account. The RTA pays on an agreed Form 4 or online refund, after a Notice of claim expires unanswered, after conciliation, or after a QCAT order (see sections 125, 136, 136A, 136B and 136E of the Act).
The 14-day evidence duty started for bonds lodged on or after 30 September 2024. A 12-month transitional period for older lodgements ran to 30 September 2025. As at 31 August 2026 that transitional period has ended. The RTA lists failure to provide bond-claim evidence as a matter it can investigate, and as a priority offence in its Compliance and Enforcement Action Plan 2024-26.
What they can claim, including cleaning with no invoice
The RTA describes a claim as covering outstanding costs at the end of the tenancy, such as damage, a breach of the agreement, or unpaid rent. Tenants are responsible for leaving the premises in the same condition as the start, less fair wear and tear. Dirt, grime, grease, and tenant-caused damage are not fair wear and tear. The entry and exit condition reports (Forms 1a and 14a) are the usual comparison. See the RTA cleaning page.
A cleaning claim without a receipt, quote, or photos is the job of the 14-day evidence rule. If they send nothing, that is an offence, but you still need Form 16 in the Notice of claim window or the money can leave.
Check each deduction with the bond claim checker
If the landlord or agent has itemised what they are taking from the bond, the free Bond claim checker lets you enter each item and see how it lines up with Queensland law, including how the age of carpet, paint and curtains affects what can be claimed for them.
Break-lease amounts claimed from the bond
People often see "4 weeks' rent" on a bond claim when they left a fixed term early. For agreements entered into on or after 30 September 2024, Queensland uses capped reletting costs, not open-ended double rent. For agreements under 3 years the cap is 4, 3, 2 or 1 weeks' rent depending on how much of the term has expired, or the rent until a new tenant moves in, whichever is less. If the property is re-let in 5 days, the RTA's example is 5 days' rent, not 4 weeks. Property managers and owners must take all reasonable steps to mitigate loss (section 362). Extra advertising or a separate reletting fee on top of that cap is not how the RTA describes the post-30 September 2024 rule. Use the RTA reletting costs page. Agreements entered into before 30 September 2024 can still use a compliant older "reasonable costs" term.
That amount can be claimed through the bond process. Dispute it the same way as a cleaning claim: Form 16, then QCAT if needed. The RTA says QCAT cannot order more than the Act's reletting-cost calculation (section 357A).
Domestic and family violence (Form 4a)
If you ended your interest in the tenancy because of domestic and family violence, use the paper Bond refund for persons experiencing domestic and family violence (Form 4a), not ordinary Form 4. Give the property manager or owner a Notice ending tenancy interest (Form 20) with the relevant evidence first. You are not required to give them your forwarding address. Remaining co-tenants are not sent a Notice of claim. See the RTA domestic violence in a rental property page.
Bond loans
If the Department of Housing and Public Works provided a bond loan, the RTA refunds any outstanding loan amount straight to the Department. Anything left over comes to the contributor. A commercial bond loan is different: the RTA refunds the tenant, and any debt to the lender is between those parties. See the RTA bond loans page.
RTA dispute resolution, then QCAT
Non-urgent bond disputes go through RTA conciliation before QCAT. Conciliators are impartial and do not decide who is right. If a party will not take part, or talks fail, the RTA issues a Notice of unresolved dispute. The person who lodged Form 16 can then apply to QCAT. For bond matters that application is due within 7 days of the notice. If nobody applies (or QCAT dismisses or the applicant withdraws), the RTA pays as the original refund request directed. See the RTA pages on dispute resolution and QCAT applications.
Where to get help
RTA: 1300 366 311 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm, excluding public holidays)
rta.qld.gov.au/refund
QCAT: 1300 753 228
qcat.qld.gov.au
Current fees