Form 2: Bond lodgement

Who sends or completes it?

Bond contributors and the property manager or owner provide the required details; the bond is lodged with the RTA.

When is it used?

When a bond is first paid, paid by instalments or increased.

Read the entire form, including its notes and timeframes. The correct next step can depend on your agreement type, the stated reason, how the document was delivered and what has already happened.

Confirm who is contributing and what is being lodged

Form 2 is used to lodge a rental bond with the RTA, including a bond paid in full, a part-payment or a later increase. Start by identifying every person who has contributed money or has a legal interest in the bond. Check spelling, contact details and the amount attributed to each contributor before signing; a missing person can make a later refund harder to coordinate.

The bond is separate from rent and other charges. If money is paid at the same time as rent, ask for a receipt that clearly labels each amount. A payment reference such as ‘bond—Unit 4—first instalment’ gives you a better record than a single transfer with no explanation. Keep proof of the date money changed hands.

Match the property and agreement details

Use the address exactly as it appears in the tenancy agreement, including the unit or site number. Check the agreement start date, the type of accommodation and the names of the lessor or managing party. A mismatch can lead to questions from the RTA, especially where an agency manages several properties with similar street names.

Read the form fields against the current RTA version rather than copying an old form from a previous tenancy. If the property changes manager, retain the original bond number and acknowledgement. A change of agent does not create a new bond; the existing RTA record should continue to be associated with the tenancy.

Keep the lodgement and payment trail together

Save the completed form, the payment receipt, any electronic submission confirmation and the RTA acknowledgement. Note the amount lodged and the date it was accepted. If the managing party says the bond has been lodged but you have no RTA confirmation, ask for the bond number and check the RTA record rather than assuming the agency ledger is proof of lodgement.

A bond increase should be treated as its own transaction. Compare the requested amount with the new rent and the lawful bond calculation, then make sure the change is actually sent to the RTA. Do not pay a ‘bond top-up’ into an unexplained account or combine it with a rent payment that could later be allocated incorrectly.

Check instalments and changed household arrangements

If the bond is paid by instalments, record each amount and the remaining balance. Ask for a receipt that says whether the payment is bond or rent. When a co-tenant joins or leaves, do not privately transfer the bond without updating the RTA and the tenancy documents; the names and shares need to match the actual arrangement.

For a rooming accommodation or moveable-dwelling agreement, a different form or process may apply. Identify the accommodation type before relying on a general-tenancy Form 2. The RTA’s current form page and the agreement are the safest starting points when an agency uses a different label for the premises.

If the acknowledgement or amount is wrong

Contact the managing party promptly if a name, amount, address or contribution is wrong. State the correction you want and attach the receipt or transfer record. Keep the tone factual: identify the transaction, the date and the difference rather than accusing someone of withholding the bond before the RTA record is checked.

A later refund can be delayed when the bond record does not reflect the people who contributed. Keep every version of the form and the RTA correspondence. If the agency will not correct an obvious lodgement problem, contact the RTA for the current process and get tenancy advice before paying a second amount to ‘fix’ a record that may already be correct.