The end of the tenancy is a tiring and demanding period. It bogs you down with the anxiety of packing everything up, cleaning the entire space and transporting all the items to the new address. It involves a lot of money, and losing the bond at this juncture is the last thing tenants want. Getting the deposit back in full ensures that you have your finances managed for the move and maintain a blemish-free rental history.
A bond usually includes a month’s rent and losing it can be hard when you have other moving expenses lined up. The factors that can impact the retrieval of the deposit include damage to the property or low cleanliness levels.
As a renter, you must return the house to the landlord in the same condition as it was when you leased it.
Thus, to get your rental bond back in Canberra, you must understand the refund process and the advantages of bond cleaning in detail. If you are leasing for the first time, here is everything you need to know about claiming your deposit and ensuring its full repayment.
What is Rental Bond and How Does it Work?
The rental bond is the security deposit paid by the tenant and requested by the property owner. It cannot exceed four weeks’ rent in Canberra and is lodged at the Rental Bond Office, which falls under the jurisdiction of the ACT Revenue Office.
The bond is used as financial protection by the owner if the tenant breaches the lease contract by damaging the property, leaving it unclean, or not paying the rent. The landlord has the right to withhold a part of the amount or the entire deposit, depending on the extent of damage, overdue rent and property condition. Thus, maintenance of the house and hiring professionals for
bond cleaning Canberra become imperative for tenants at the end of the tenancy.
The deposit amount must be mentioned in the lease agreement, and the landlord must lodge it within four weeks of receiving the amount or the beginning of the tenancy. They can lodge it on the Rental Bonds Portal by creating a profile and adding their bank account details for refunds. The landlord must provide the bond number and other details to the tenant to claim the bond at the end of the tenancy.
If both parties agree that the tenant will lodge the bond, they can do so by filling out the
tenant bond lodgement form. The tenant gets a confirmation email with the receipt for bond lodgement after the portal receives the payment.
How to Claim the Rental Bond in Canberra?
If both parties agree to a full bond refund, they can fill out the Bond Refund Form and email it to rb@act.gov.au. It must be signed by both parties and checked for errors before submission because it cannot be changed later. If any of the two parties do not sign the form, a notice is issued to the concerned person. They must respond to the notice within 14 days if they do not agree with the refund request and want to dispute it. Usually, disagreements arise over end of lease cleaning Canberra.
If the bond refund is disputed, the ACT Rental Bonds takes the matter to the
ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT) and informs both parties about the same. The bond is refunded when the dispute is resolved. If any part of the amount is undisputed, it gets refunded through bank transfer in 48 hours.
How to Ensure Complete Bond Back in Canberra?
The landlord can claim the refund if they feel the property has not been returned in the same condition as it was at the time of leasing. However, they cannot withhold the amount for fair wear and tear during the tenancy.
Thus, tenants must avoid causing deliberate or accidental damage to the property. Also, it is crucial to keep photographs of the original condition of the property and the condition report safely to debunk unfair bond claims made by the landlord.
If anything is broken, it must be fixed before the end of the tenancy. In addition, the house should be spick-and-span after the furniture has been removed. Understandably, cleaning the house from top to bottom is impossible when you have to pack your stuff, transport it to the new house and get all the paperwork done for the relocation.
Thus, hiring proficient and expert Canberra bond cleaning companies is the right way to handle the situation. These professionals
specialise in house cleaning and have the skills and equipment to do the job perfectly. They are responsible for driving out dust, grunge and debris from every nook and cranny to get the property ready for inspection by the landlord or property manager.
What Are The Advantages of Professional Bond Cleaning?
If you feel that paying professional cleaners will be an unnecessary expense, you should look at the list of benefits provided by the service below.
1. Hiring Professionals Saves Time and Effort
When you are moving, you are pressed for time. Thus, cleaning the house for inspection becomes a race against time. The tension of losing the bond and the backbreaking chores can leave you exhausted and stressed. Thus, booking an affordable end of lease cleaning service makes sense.
2. Reduce the Risk of Losing Your Bond
Reputed and well-established bond cleaning companies in Canberra are veterans in the field. They understand the bond refund process and the areas responsible for disputes. They have devised unmatched cleaning techniques that help exceed the landlord’s expectations on the inspection day. Some even provide a bond back guarantee and free re-cleaning that removes all the pressure of dispute.
3. Affordable End of Lease Cleaning
If you are concerned about the cost of the service, you can rest assured that these companies offer value for money. They follow a pre-approved cleaning checklist and cover both the inside and outside of the property to give you complete peace of mind. They use
natural cleaning products that are cheaper than commercial cleaners and are environmentally-friendly. The amount you pay the cleaning company is much lower than losing your bond and suffering mental tension due to the dispute.
4. High-Quality Carpet Cleaning
Carpets in high foot traffic areas get trampled, stained and laden with dust, hair, fluff and debris. Normal vacuuming is not enough to bring back its lost lustre. Bond cleaners in Canberra are equipped with industry-grade vacuums and pressure washing machines to spruce up these floor coverings. Since dirty carpets are the most common reason for bond refund disputes, this service is necessary for tenants.
5. One-Stop Shop Bond Cleaning Services
Bond cleaning Canberra packages offer
end-to-end services that cover every room, kitchen and bathroom. The cleaners ensure that every part of the house, including fixtures, doors, windows and floors, is impeccably clean. They customise the service according to your needs so that you can include pressure cleaning of carpets or upholstery cleaning as additional services in your checklist. The best part is that you get the final quote upfront. So you don’t have to worry about extra charges or hiring different service providers.
Wrapping Up
Getting the rental bond back in Canberra is not a challenge if you know how the process works and what you need to do. Hiring professional bond cleaners is ideal for ensuring a complete refund without disputes.
