Outstanding Bond Payments

Be scam aware: Any official RTA electronic correspondence will always come from an @rta.qld.gov.au email address. The RTA will only ask you to provide your details by completing an approved RTA form via RTA Web Services or a paper RTA Update your details form. If you have concerns you are not dealing with an authorised RTA officer, hang up/do not respond and contact the RTA directly.

At the end of a tenancy, a bond payment may fail to be refunded to a tenant or property manager/owner. These payments are known as outstanding bond payments and are sometimes called unclaimed bonds or forgotten bonds.  

There are many reasons why someone may have an outstanding bond payment. The most common is when contact details provided to the RTA at the start of a tenancy become out of date or are incomplete. It is important to ensure that your details are kept up to date with the RTA.  

How to update your details and check if you are owed any outstanding bond monies 

If you have previously rented and vacated a residential property or managed one in Queensland, and believe you are owed a bond refund, there are three (3) ways you can help us match your details with any outstanding bond payments. 

  • Option 1: Login to RTA Web Services 
    If you know your bond number, update your details using RTA Web Services. If you have any outstanding bond payments, they will be refunded to you automatically when your details are updated. This is the quickest way to claim any monies owed to you.
     
  • Option 2: Submit the relevant enquiry form below (click the green 'Start now' button)
    If you do not know your bond number, you can complete a digital enquiry form that will give our RTA processing team the information they need to search for and respond to you regarding any outstanding bond monies. There are two forms: one for individual tenants, residents and property owners/managers; and one for organisations/joint lessors. You must be able to provide sufficient details related to your tenancy/tenancies for the RTA to identify you. The RTA will assess if the details you provided match to any outstanding bond payments and will notify you via email within two weeks of your enquiry.
     
  • Option 3: Email or post a paper Update your details form
    If you are unable to update your details online, you can complete RTA’s Update your details form and email it to us or send it to our postal address.

Important information about how outstanding bond payments are processed

  • The RTA is unable to notify customers over the phone whether they have an outstanding bond payment and we recommend the quickest way is to complete our digital enquiry form for individuals or organisations.
  • Outstanding bond payments can only be refunded to an existing Australian bank account.
  • Most digital enquiry forms will be processed within two weeks (14 days). This can take longer if your application is not complete, and we need to collect additional information to proceed with your request.
  • We ask customers not to call before this time has passed and to please use our dedicated digital enquiry forms or RTA Web Services to enquire about outstanding bond payments. This helps ensure our Contact Centre can continue to remain available to support Queenslanders with urgent tenancy and bond matters. 

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Frequently asked questions