How to Get Your Bond Back

Vacating your rental property can be a stressful experience, especially for first-time tenants. Luckily, our property manager expert Chantell Lee has a handful of helpful hints to get you on the right track to getting your bond back!

Checking your entry condition report

When it comes time to vacate your property it needs to be in the same condition as when you moved in, with the exception of reasonable wear and tear. Unsurprisingly, reasonable wear and tear will mean different things to different people and will vary state to state. You can find your local WA laws here.

Some ideas on what is considered wear and tear are:

• Faded curtains, flaking paint, worn benchtops, and hairline cracking to walls are considered normal damage.
• Smudges to walls, chipped walls and door frames, burns to flooring, and overgrown gardens are not considered wear and tear.

This is why it’s important to check the property against your entry condition report to compare the state of the property when you moved in. Your entry condition report will have record of any paint chips or faults with the property when you moved in, so you know where to focus your attention when you are cleaning or managing any repairs when moving out.

Moving out checklist

Most agencies will have a vacating tenant checklist that you need to work through in order to get your bond back in full. If renting through Hanson Property, contact Chantell on rentals@hansonproperty.com.au for a checklist with some handy tips and tricks.

Cleaning of the property

Getting a professional vacate cleaner to complete your clean is a great way to ensure you get your bond back as cleaners are very thorough and know exactly what needs to be done. This does come at a cost, but not only will it save you time, it can take away some of the stress that may come with vacating a property. If you are interested in having a professional cleaner complete your bond clean, talk to your property manager to see if they can recommend someone. If you are completing the cleaning yourself, following your vacate checklist will help ensure everything is completed before you vacate.

Another thing to remember when vacating the property is that, if the property is carpeted, it is a requirement under your tenancy agreement to have the carpets professionally cleaned. Steam cleaning of the carpets is recommended as it gives a deeper clean, which helps to lift stains.

If your lease agreement includes a pet that can carry parasites that can affect humans, then it is recommended to have the property professionally fumigated, internally and externally, to receive your pet bond back in full. Make sure to forward on copies to your property manager so they can confirm this has been completed at the property.

Disconnection of utilities and mail redirection

It is recommended to start contacting your providers approximately 2 weeks before you are due to move out to ensure disconnection occurs on the day you vacate. Failure to do this can mean you are liable past your vacate date. It is also great to have a mail redirection in place to ensure you haven’t forgotten to change the address of that one important letter.

Here is a checklist for utility providers that you may need to make arrangements with:

• Power provider
• Gas provider
• Mail redirection with AusPost
• Phone/Internet accounts
• Any pay TV providers
• Tenant contents insurance

Organise a pre-vacate inspection

Before you officially vacate your property, organise a pre-vacate inspection so your property manager can let you know if anything needs further attention before you move out. It will also prevent any delays in getting your bond back, since you’ll be able to action any items noted by your property manager before the tenancy ends.

Paying any outstanding rent and invoices

Paying any outstanding amounts of rent owed until your vacate date will ensure this amount is not deducted from the bond at the end of the tenancy. If you are unsure of how much rent you have outstanding, reach out to your property manager to get a breakdown of any rent owed. Clearing any outstanding invoices owed for water consumption or other charges will also ensure that these amounts are not deducted from the bond.

Returning of keys

Be sure to return all sets of keys provided at the start of your tenancy. If you are unsure of what keys have been provided, ask your property manager for a copy of the keys provided when you started your lease. Be sure to not lose your keys during your tenancy, as a locksmith may be required to change the locks at your cost.

Getting your bond money back

When you have returned the keys for the property, your final inspection will be conducted within 14 days under WA legislation.

At the end of your tenancy, the property manager will attend the property to complete the final bond inspection for the property to make sure that it has been left in the same condition as it was at the beginning of the lease.

Once the report has been completed, if there has been some damage to the property or it is not clean, then the tenant may be given a chance to address this issue or have contractors complete the required items and have the invoices deducted from the bond. However, the owner is under no obligation to allow further access to the property.

Bond disputes

In case the dispute is not getting resolved between the owner and the tenant by themselves, the Magistrate’s Court will decide on the allocation of bond monies.
The property condition report will be used to determine whether any damage was caused during the tenancy.

To avoid such situations and to ensure the full refund of your bond money, be sure the property condition report (PCR) is precise and correct at the start of your lease, and that you return the property to the owner in the best condition possible. If you follow the terms and rules of your tenancy agreement, you are in a good position to get your bond money back.