Bond refunds
Help for renters, when needed the most
Retrieving your bond refund has turned into one of the most stressful experiences. Are you one of the tenants who received an email from the landlord requesting $$$ with nothing attached? We can help you get/receive everything you need to fight for fair!
Bond is paid as security in the event the tenant breaches the agreement – every state/territory has a different definition of why you pay bond. Did you do that?
Breaching the tenancy agreement -v- wear and tear
Retrieving your bond has turned into a knowledge game, who knows the legislation and how to use it to make sure your hand is the winning one. How much do you know about your Act? Aussie Renters is not about cheating the owner out of repairing any damages caused, we are about keeping it fair, more in align with “natural justice”.
Natural justice meaning “principles, procedures, or treatment felt instinctively to be morally right and fair”
The moment you ask for help, the majority will say submit the bond refund immediately before/after returning the keys. Hard decision to make if your landlord has a good history with you however, if you wait and they decide to claim your bond…
In this hand, the first claim received by the Bond Authority is the one who saves their money! The one who claimed last must lodge an application to the Tribunal to seek an Order if the matter is not settled at the conciliation conference. The tenant can win two hands quickly here. This could be a winner for you because the landlord does not have enough to back their claim or maybe they decided to “hold” your bond, simply due to you claiming first.
TIP 1 – ask the landlord when you can expect your bond refund. If they provide an evasive response, it would be in your best interest to claim first but this could also come down to the state/territory you live in. In some states, tenants cannot make a claim for 14 days.
TIP 2 – Negotiating the refund is extremely important and should always be in writing as it proves your attempts to resolve a dispute before needing a court system to step in and make a decision. For more tips, check your state/territory.
What we do to help
Over the years we have been operating, we have put together packages to suit every tenant no matter where they are in their rent wars! Many members have used our specialised letters and reports and successfully retrieved bond without attending the Tribunal.
Aussie Renters offer:
- Two professional letters for the initial claim (request evidence of any claim) and another stating what you will, or won’t be releasing from your bond money
- Worksheets to prepare your argument by gathering the right information
- Reports for the Conciliation Conference and if needed, another for the Tribunal or Magistrates Court
- Evidence and intel gathering forms displaying images, proof of what you are saying
- Booklets that explain how to gather your evidence or intel (we explain the difference), one for breaking your lease and the other for going to Court.
Our packages carry minimal charges and you only pay for what you use. The first letter is for free and we hope your bond is returned at this point. If not, then the next step is:
- Conciliation package – the claim against your bond will be required
- Tribunal package – a great deal more is required at this point and the fee varies depending on the volumn of work required
- Intel and evidence gathering package – if you don’t have time to look into the invoices or quotes supplied, we can run our checks for a minimal cost
- Print’n’Post package – this package cannot be purchased until your submission is finalised
Our aim is to eventually release the packages for free with the Tribunal package having a significantly smaller fee for the members that are prepared to upload all of their evidence and tidy up/finalise their submission themself. Currently, we read all of the evidence you have supplied, upload it into our specially made software then merge your submission documents. A couple more hours will be spent personalising the Statement of Evidence from everything we have read.
Aussie Renters has found the majority of claims made against the tenant has been for the gardens and/or lawn. And the claims have been exorbitant! If you have a claim against your bond regarding the gardens, please locate comparisons (intel). This way, if the Tribunal does decide the tenant is liable, the amount can be argued and hopefully, a fairer compensation figure.
Feedback after the hearing
The majority of our members have been successful with their cases. Some compensation to the owners have been ordered however the members accepted responsibility as it was fair.
A couple received Orders that were seen as unreasonable and unfair as they weren’t listened to or heard. The quickest hearing was 3 minutes (over the phone) with the Member quizzing the agent only. At the end of the hearing, he told our member that he appreciated her submission!
We don’t know how your matter will go before the Tribunal but what we do know is, your matter will be presented clearly and precisely. Paragraphs and pages are numbered the way the Tribunal like it. Valuable evidence/information will be located immediately and all images are presented in full colour.
Hopefully the landlord will see how organised you are at the conciliation and settle the matter quickly. Better still, some members have had their money returned after the second letter.
Process your first letter free of charge – Initial Negotiation Letter (register to become a member first and you must be logged on).