How do I dispute a retail bond claim
At the end of the lease, the tenant and the property owner (landlord or lessor) or their agent need to complete and sign a claim form. The form directs how the bond is to be paid. If part of the bond money is owed to the property owner, the remainder will be paid to the tenant.
When only one of the parties signs a claim form, the other party is notified that there is a claim on the bond. If you have received a Notice of Claim and you do not agree with the other party’s claim and would like to dispute it, you need to do the following two things:
- Complete the tear off slip at the bottom of the Notice of Claim and send it to Rental Bonds
- by email to bondclaims@customerservice.nsw.gov.au or
- by post to Locked Bag 9000 Grafton NSW 2460 within 14 days of the date of the notice.
- You will also need to complete an Application for Mediation of a Lease or Bond Dispute Form and email it to we.assist@smallbusiness.nsw.gov.au or apply for mediation online
If notification of your dispute over the bond is not received by Rental Bonds, the money will be paid after the 14-day period. If there is a dispute, the money is held until the dispute is resolved.
Important note: When you leave the shop, put in a change of address form with the post office so you can be notified of a claim made by the property owner. You can also update your contact details with Rental Bonds team by emailing bondclaims@customerservice.nsw.gov.au
Under the NSW Retail Bond Scheme, you can dispute the payment of a bond even after it has been paid out. However, if the bond is no longer held by the scheme, it may be difficult to get the funds from the other party without a court order.