Getting the bond back

The tenant should get back their bond back in full if:

• there is no damage to the property other than fair wear and tear
• the property is left reasonably clean and tidy, and
• the rent is up to date.

Remember this is the tenant’s money and should be returned to them unless there is a good reason for it not to be.

If there is some damage or rent owing that is less than the amount of the bond, the landlord and tenant may agree that the tenant will get some but not all of the bond back. The landlord will receive the rest of the bond.

If the tenant has paid a pet bond, this amount can also be used to pay for any damage or rent that the tenant owes if the general bond is not enough to cover it, provided that the tenant and landlord agree to this. 

If the tenant and the landlord agree about how much of the bond should be refunded to each of them, then normally the landlord will make an online bond refund request through Tenancy Services' Bond Hub. The tenant will then receive notification from Tenancy Services and be asked to confirm that they agree to the amount to be refunded. Tenancy Services then processes the payment.

Note that if there is more than one tenant on the tenancy agreement, all tenants must agree and will receive notification to confirm the bond refund.

Find out more about Tenancy Services' bond refund system here 

Tenants can request bond refund

While it is easier if, after discussion with the tenant, the landlord lodges the bond refund request online, the tenant can choose to lodge the bond request form if the landlord has not done it in a timely manner. 

This must be done with paper forms that are available by request from Tenancy Services or at any Citizens Advice Bureau. Tenants cannot currently request a bond refund online.

Once Tenancy Services has received the request, they will contact the landlord to get their agreement and confirm the bond refund amount.

When the tenant receives the bond refund notification, they can choose to agree or disagree with the request. The tenant cannot change the amount of the bond refund at this stage, so they should select disagree if they do not agree with how much of the bond they will receive.

If the tenant selects disagree, the bond refund request will be cancelled. The landlord and tenant then need to try to reach agreement and a new bond refund request can be lodged with Tenancy Services.

If the landlord and tenant cannot reach agreement on how much of the bond should be refunded to the tenant, they may need to go to the Tenancy Tribunal for resolution.

A tenant can transfer the bond from their previous tenancy to a new one, if the new landlords agree to it. To do this, the tenant should choose to have the bond refunded to their new landlord’s bank account. 

If the amount of the old bond refund is more than the new bond, the tenant will receive a refund for the excess amount. If the new bond is more, then the tenant must pay the additional amount of bond required to the new landlord.