Bond Hub: how bond refunds and changes work now paper forms have gone

From 29 June 2026, Tenancy Services stopped offering paper forms for bond refunds, change of tenant and change of landlord. All of these are now done online, through Bond Hub or through property management software connected to Tenancy Services. Lodging bonds has been online only since 18 December 2024. The biggest practical difference is the refund: the landlord starts it in Bond Hub, each tenant confirms it through a secure link, and once everyone agrees the money is paid the next day.

This is a change in how Tenancy Services runs the bond system, not a change to the bond rules themselves. The 4-week cap on a general bond, the pet bond, and the 23 working days a landlord has to lodge a bond all stay the same.

How it got here

• 18 December 2024: signatures were no longer needed to lodge or top up a bond, and lodging by email or post ended. Bonds are lodged and paid online.
• 1 December 2025: Bond Hub launched, alongside the new pet bond rules.
• 29 June 2026: paper forms for refunds, change of tenant and change of landlord were withdrawn.

What landlords do now

• Register for Bond Hub using a RealMe, Microsoft or Google login. If you have lodged bonds before, have your Landlord ID ready.
• Lodge new bonds, pet bonds and top-ups in Bond Hub, and still give the tenant a written receipt.
• Start refunds yourself: choose the property, enter the reason and the tenancy end date, add any deductions or amounts on hold, split the bond between the tenants, and submit.
• Request a change of tenant, and submit or respond to a change of landlord, in the same place.
• Property managers can use Bond Hub with the landlord's authority, or connected software, which can now handle refunds for tenants who prefer email, text or post.

What tenants do now

Tenants do not register. When a landlord submits a refund, each tenant gets an email or text with a link and a one-time password, then enters their 8-digit tenant number to agree or disagree. Agreeing means entering bank account details. Tenants who have not given an email address or mobile number get the notice by post, which is slower.

Tenants have 12 working days to respond. If any tenant disagrees, or nobody responds in time, the request lapses and the landlord has to submit a new one. Tenancy Services asks tenants to keep their tenant number private, including from the landlord and other tenants, because it is what authorises the refund.

What is different from the paper form

The old refund form was signed by landlord and tenants and sent in together, so disagreements usually surfaced before anything reached Tenancy Services. Now one side proposes and the other side answers online. That is faster when everyone agrees, but a surprise deduction simply stalls the refund for all tenants until someone resubmits.

Getting refunds through first time

1. Agree the amount and any deductions with the tenants before submitting, and show them the evidence behind any deduction.
2. Agree how the bond is split between tenants. Tenancy Services asks for disputes between tenants to be settled first.
3. Check every tenant's contact details are current with Tenancy Services, and double-check yours, so requests do not go to the wrong person.
4. Tell the tenants the request is coming and to check their spam folder.

Deductions are where refunds stall, and they are settled by evidence. Dated entry photos, inspection records and a repair history make a deduction easy to accept or easy to drop; our guide to bond dispute evidence covers what holds up. If the parties still cannot agree, either side can apply to the Tenancy Tribunal.

If a tenant cannot get the refund started

Tenancy Services' advice is to ask the landlord to submit the refund in Bond Hub, since that is the quickest route. Tenants who cannot use the online process, or whose landlord will not act, can contact Tenancy Services directly for help.