ACT tenancy bond rules are simpler than the paperwork makes them look. In the Australian Capital Territory your rental bond is capped at four weeks' rent, it's lodged with the ACT Revenue Office rather than kept by your landlord, and the whole arrangement sits under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997. You get the bond back at the end of your tenancy as long as you return the property clean and undamaged beyond fair wear and tear, with rent paid. This guide walks through how much bond is legal, who holds it, what your end-of-tenancy obligations actually are, and exactly how you get your money back in Canberra.
What is a rental bond in the ACT?
A rental bond is a security deposit you pay at the start of a tenancy that the landlord can claim against if you don't meet your obligations — unpaid rent, damage beyond normal wear, or a property left unclean. It is not kept by the landlord or the agent. In the ACT it's lodged with the regulator and held in trust, so it can only be released when both sides agree, or when a tribunal decides.
That's the key thing to understand up front: your bond money isn't sitting in your landlord's account waiting to be quietly kept. It's held centrally, and there's a defined process for getting it back — which is exactly why knowing the rules works in your favour.
How much bond can a landlord charge in the ACT?
In the ACT a rental bond is capped at four weeks' rent. That's the maximum under the standard residential tenancy terms — a landlord or agent can't ask for more, and they can't stack a separate "pet bond," "cleaning bond," or "carpet bond" on top of it. One bond, capped at four weeks' rent, for the whole tenancy.
So if your rent is $600 a week, the most you can be asked to lodge is $2,400. If you've been asked for more than four weeks' rent, that's not standard — and it's worth raising before you pay.
Who holds your bond — and how is it lodged?
Your bond is lodged with the ACT Revenue Office (administered through Access Canberra), not held by your landlord or real estate agent. Once you pay it, the landlord or agent is required to lodge it with the Revenue Office, and you should receive confirmation that it's been lodged.
Keep that confirmation. It's your proof of how much is held and who lodged it. If you never get a lodgement receipt, ask for one — and if it doesn't turn up, you can check directly with Access Canberra, which administers rental bonds for the Territory. (We're naming the process in plain terms here; for the exact lodgement timeframes and forms, Access Canberra is the authoritative source.)
The condition report is your most important document
The single most valuable piece of paper in your tenancy is the condition report you complete at the start. It records the state of the property — every mark, scuff, worn patch and existing bit of grime — room by room, on the day you move in. At the end of the tenancy, the property is judged against that report. It is the yardstick for whether you get your bond back.
Fill it in carefully, be specific, and back it up with dated photos. If the carpet was already stained or the oven already greasy when you arrived and you noted it, that can't later be deducted from your bond. A vague or blank condition report is the most common way renters lose an argument they should have won. (For how condition reports play into bond deductions, see our guide on the top reasons bonds get withheld.)
Your end-of-tenancy cleaning obligations in the ACT
At the end of a tenancy you must return the premises in substantially the same condition as at the start — fair wear and tear excepted. In practice that means the property should be as clean as it was when you moved in, judged against the condition report. The big-ticket items agents check are the oven and rangehood, bathrooms (descaled, mould-free), interiors of cupboards, walls spot-cleaned, window tracks and skirting, and carpets — steam cleaned where the lease requires it, with the receipt as proof.
This is the one end-of-tenancy obligation entirely within your control. Rent and damage are largely settled by the time you're moving out; cleaning is the variable you can still influence on the last day. You can do it yourself against our full end of lease cleaning checklist, or book a professional end of lease clean that's done to the standard agents sign off on — oven, carpets, and receipt included. Either way, clean to the condition report, not to "good enough."
What is "fair wear and tear" in the ACT?
Fair wear and tear is the normal deterioration that happens just from living in a place — and a landlord cannot deduct your bond for it. Faded paint, carpet worn thin along the main walkway, small scuffs on a wall, a tap washer worn out over a two-year lease: that's ordinary use, and the cost is the landlord's, not yours.
What isn't fair wear and tear is damage or neglect — cigarette burns in the carpet, a wine stain, holes in a wall, a cracked basin, mould left to grow, or grime that built up because the place was never cleaned. That's the line. A deduction for genuine damage is usually fair; a deduction for something that simply aged normally is not, and it's the basis for disputing an unfair claim.
How do you get your bond back at the end of a tenancy?
At the end of the tenancy you and your landlord (or agent) agree on how the bond is released — usually the full amount back to you, sometimes with an agreed deduction. Once you both agree, the bond is refunded from the ACT Revenue Office. If you can't agree on the amount, either party can apply to ACAT — the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal — and the tribunal decides how the bond is split.
The practical takeaway: don't sign off on a deduction you don't agree with just to speed things up. If you've left the property clean and undamaged, hold your position, point to the condition report, and let ACAT decide if it comes to that. For the exact refund timeframes, Access Canberra is the source to check — but the principle is the same whatever the dates: agreement first, tribunal if needed.
What if there's a dispute?
If your landlord withholds part of the bond and you think it's unfair, you don't have to accept it. Ask for the claim in writing, with evidence — photos and invoices, not just a figure. Compare it against your entry condition report and the fair-wear-and-tear line above. If it's for normal wear, or for cleaning you actually did, push back.
If you still can't agree, the matter goes to ACAT, which is low-cost to lodge and decides bond disputes for the Territory. This is exactly why you keep receipts: a dated invoice for a professional bond clean, with the carpet receipt attached, is strong evidence that you returned the property properly — and it shifts the argument in your favour. For specifics on lodging a dispute, ACAT and Access Canberra are the official sources.
Frequently asked questions
How much bond can a landlord ask for in the ACT?
A rental bond in the ACT is capped at four weeks' rent under the standard residential tenancy terms. A landlord or agent can't charge more than that, and they can't add a separate pet bond or cleaning bond on top — it's one bond, capped at four weeks' rent.
Who holds my rental bond in the ACT?
Your bond is lodged with the ACT Revenue Office, administered through Access Canberra — not held by your landlord or real estate agent. It's kept in trust and can only be released when both parties agree or when ACAT decides, so no one can quietly keep it.
How long does it take to get a bond back in the ACT?
Once you and your landlord agree on how the bond is released, it's refunded from the ACT Revenue Office. If you agree quickly it's fast; if there's a dispute it takes longer, because ACAT has to decide. For exact timeframes, check Access Canberra — and to avoid delay, leave the property clean and keep your receipts.
Do I have to professionally clean at the end of a lease in the ACT?
You must return the property in substantially the same condition it was in at the start, fair wear and tear excepted. If your lease specifically requires professional carpet cleaning, then yes — agents will ask for the receipt. Otherwise you can clean it yourself, but it has to meet the condition-report standard, which is why many renters book a professional bond clean to be sure.
Know the rules, control the one that's yours
ACT tenancy bond rules come down to a few fair principles: your bond is capped at four weeks' rent, it's held by the ACT Revenue Office rather than your landlord, the condition report is the yardstick, and disputes are decided by ACAT — not by whoever holds the keys. Most of those are out of your hands by the time you're moving out. The one you fully control is how clean you leave the property. Get a free, fixed-price quote for an end of lease clean — oven, carpets, and receipt included — and we'll return it to the condition-report standard agents sign off on. We clean right across Canberra and the ACT. Request your free quote here.
Written by the Grime Reapers team.