What evidence actually wins bond disputes?

Bond disputes come down to one question asked about specific damage: was it there before, and is it damage at all, or fair wear and tear? The side that answers with dated evidence usually wins; the side that answers with recollection usually doesn't. Everything worth doing about bonds follows from that.

The evidence hierarchy

• A signed entry condition report with dated photos, made at the start of the tenancy, is the foundation document.
• Consistent routine-inspection photos, same rooms, same angles, build the timeline between start and end.
• A maintenance record showing what was reported and fixed separates damage from disrepair.
• The exit inspection's photos, taken the same way as the entry set, close the loop.

Wear and tear versus damage

Carpet flattening in walkways, sun-faded curtains, minor scuffs: a home being lived in normally is wear and tear, and the bond does not cover it. A hole in a door, a burn in a bench, a stain that was demonstrably not there at entry: that is damage, and this is where the entry photos earn everything. The Tribunal's published decisions are remarkably consistent on this distinction; the cases that go sideways are the ones where nobody can show the starting state.

The habits that decide it in advance

Lodge the bond properly and promptly. Make the entry report thorough even when everyone is friendly, especially when everyone is friendly, that is when it feels skippable. Photograph every inspection. Keep the whole trail in one place per property, written at the time; a record like that means most disputes never become disputes, because both sides can already see the answer.