Rental bonds tenant service

Overview

As part of our ongoing commitment to provide faster, more efficient digital services, the ACT Revenue Office has developed an online portal for tenants.

This portal is an extension of our existing Rental Bonds Portal for agents and lessors. The addition of tenant accounts streamlines the bond refund process, providing a more accessible service.

As a tenant, within the portal you can:

• Create an account and see the status of your bond online.
• Provide your bank account details for bond refunds.
• Respond to refund requests by approving or disputing the proposed refund allocation.

Setting up your account

• Follow the login instructions in your SMS or email notifications.
• You will be provided with two login options:
  • Follow the secure URL link to access the online service or
  • Navigate to the Rental Bond portal on the ACT Rental Bonds Office website. Login as a tenant and enter your activity code provided in the notification.
• You will be prompted to login with an ACT Digital Account, which is a secure way to access a range of ACT Government services online.
• If you do not already have an ACT Digital Account, you will be prompted to sign up by supplying your personal details such as;
  • Name
  • Email
  • Residential mailing address
  • Mobile phone number
    • This will be supported by providing two Australian identity documents (e.g. Drivers Licence and Medicare details).
• Once you have an ACT Digital Account, you will be able to access several other ACT Government services, such as ‘Rental Bond Help’, ‘Transfer My Infringement’ and update your dog’s registration details.
• If you need further information or help creating your ACT Digital Account, please visit https://www.myaccount.act.gov.au/s/support.

Non-Australian Residents

• If you are a non-Australian resident, you will not be able to use these online services at this time.
• Please click here 242.9 KB to download a manual bond refund request form and instructions for how to lodge with our office.

Feedback

• These online tenant accounts are currently being phased in through selected agencies and will be incrementally rolled out across all bonds.
• The ACT Rental Bonds Office is committed to continuous improvement, we value your input and appreciate feedback. If you would like to provide feedback in relation to the Rental Bond Portal, please follow this link to complete our survey.

Approving a refund request

• When an agent requests a refund online, all tenants on the bond will be notified via email and/or SMS.
• Tenants have 14 days to respond to the request, by creating an account and providing relevant information or bank details. If we do not receive a response within 14 days, the bond will be refunded as per the original request.
• For more detail about the bond refund request and any claims or deductions, please contact your agent/lessor.
• Once all tenants on the bond approve the refund request, all parties will be refunded accordingly.

Disputing a refund request

• If you, or one of the tenants on the bond, disputes the refund request, the ACT Rental Bonds Office will refer the matter to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT).
• All bond parties will be notified that the matter has been referred to the ACAT. Any undisputed portion of the bond will be refunded.
• The ACAT will then contact you directly about the matter. If you would like more information about the progress of your dispute, please contact the ACAT on (02) 6207 1740 or visit their website.
• If all tenants and lessors come to an agreement, the disputed portion of the bond can be refunded by notifying ACT Rental Bonds and the ACAT of the agreed resolution in writing. Each party should email us details of the agreed resolution to rb@act.gov.au.

What happens if there is a change of agency?

• If a tenant has been using a tenant online account and moves to a agency that is not currently managing their bonds through this portal, they will be able to continue using tenant online accounts with their new agency or lessor.

Changing your notification settings

• Initially you will receive SMS and email notifications about your bond. You can update your SMS notification settings online through the ‘Notification Preferences’ menu option on your account.
  • Alternatively, reply ‘STOP’ to an SMS notification directly, to stop receiving SMS notifications.

Can't use our online services?

• If you would prefer not to use these online services, please click here to find out how you can respond to your bond refund request manually.

Support

If you need help with creating your ACT Digital Account, please visit https://www.myaccount.act.gov.au/s/support or call Access Canberra on 13 22 81.

If you have any other questions about Rental Bonds or your Online Tenant Account, please call us on (02) 6207 0028.