📦Ending a tenancy

The condition report protects you on paper.

Every residential bond in Australia must be lodged with the relevant state bond authority — your landlord or agent cannot legally hold your bond themselves.

The last few weeks of a tenancy can be stressful, but working through a clear checklist reduces the risk of bond deductions and disputes.

Breaking a fixed-term lease before the end date is not ideal, but life circumstances sometimes make it necessary.

One of the most common disputes between tenants and landlords at the end of a tenancy is whether something counts as fair wear and tear or as damage.

A condition report is the most important document you will sign at the start of a tenancy.

Every other mainland Australian state has a tenancy tribunal — NCAT in NSW, VCAT and RDRV in Victoria, QCAT in Queensland, SACAT in South Australia, NTCAT in…

Queensland handles rental disputes differently to every other state.

If you rent in New South Wales and cannot sort a dispute out with your landlord or agent directly, the next stop is usually the NSW Civil and Administrative…

For years, the main route for a Victorian renter with a bond dispute or a broken heater was the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

End-of-lease cleaning is the source of more bond disputes than almost any other issue.

Breaking a lease before its end date will cost you something — but how much depends heavily on which state you are in and how far through your lease you are.