Moving out
How to complete an exit condition report
Complete Form 14a after removing your belongings and cleaning, compare it with the entry report, take dated photos and give it back when returning the keys.
Key facts
- Compare the exit report with the entry report
- Fair wear and tear is excluded from the tenant's responsibility
- Record meter readings and key return
- The completed copy should be sent back within 3 business days
Build the same view as your entry evidence
Photograph every room, surface, included item and outdoor area after belongings have been removed and cleaning is complete. Where possible, use similar angles to the entry photos so changes are easy to compare.
Record meter readings, every key and access device, and any repair or fixture agreement that affects how the premises should be left.
Write facts, not conclusions
Describe the condition and point back to the entry report where an issue was already present. Ordinary fair wear and tear is different from tenant-caused damage, but the evidence, age and circumstances of each item matter.
Ideally both sides complete the report together. If completed separately, the RTA says the managing party should review it, add comments, sign it and send a completed copy to the tenant's new address within three business days.
Keep bond evidence separate and complete
Retain the entry and exit reports, original photos, cleaning or repair invoices, messages and proof of key return. These documents help answer a bond claim without relying on memory.
For relevant bond claims or disputes, a property manager or owner must provide supporting evidence to the renter within the current RTA timeframe. Act quickly on any Notice of claim from the RTA.
Use the entry report as the fair benchmark
Form 14a is the general-tenancy exit condition report. Its value comes from comparison: what did the room, inclusion or outdoor area look like at the start, and what changed by handover? The starting benchmark is usually the entry condition with reasonable allowance for fair wear and tear, not a demand to return an older property in brand-new condition.
Keep Form 1a, entry photographs, repair reports and the agreement beside the exit report. If a mark was repaired during the tenancy, show the original report and the final result. A clean exit report should explain the change rather than simply ticking every box ‘good’.
Work room by room after the property is empty
Inspect after furniture, boxes, rubbish and personal belongings are gone. Check floors, walls, ceilings, cupboards, windows, screens, appliances, bathrooms, laundry, outdoor areas, parking and storage. Record meter readings and list every key, fob and remote. If something cannot be inspected, write the reason and arrange a follow-up where possible.
Use wide photographs to show location and close photographs to show detail. Keep the original files with dates and a simple index. A photograph labelled ‘lounge carpet’ is much easier to use later than an image named IMG_4821 with no room or date.
Describe cleaning and damage without exaggerating
A tenant can be responsible for damage or cleaning that goes beyond the starting condition, but ordinary ageing and fair wear and tear are different. Compare the entry evidence before accepting a label such as ‘damaged’ or ‘needs replacement’. If a repair is needed, record the physical defect and its location rather than assigning blame in the condition report.
Keep receipts and photographs of work you arrange. An agent cannot automatically require a nominated cleaner or charge the cost of replacing an item when a reasonable repair would restore it. Ask for the evidence and calculation if a proposed deduction does not match the report.
Return the report and keys with a timestamp
Give the completed Form 14a back through an agreed or traceable method and keep the copy you sent. Record the date, time, recipient and every key or access device returned. If the agent will not sign while you are present, email the report and state the handover details in the message.
The property manager or owner should return a signed copy of the completed general-tenancy exit report within three business days. Check the current form instructions and your exact handover dates. Do not wait for that copy before preserving your own version and photographs.
Respond to deductions item by item
When a bond deduction is proposed, ask for the exact item, entry and exit evidence, quote or invoice and the calculation. Reply with the matching Form 1a comment and photograph where the issue pre-existed the tenancy. If part of the claim is reasonable, identify that part rather than abandoning the whole response.
If agreement is not reached, follow the RTA bond-refund and Notice of claim instructions promptly. Keep the exit report, key receipt, ledger, photographs and messages until the refund is final. QSTARS can help when the amount or evidence is disputed.
Primary source checked
RTA — Exit condition report