Bond disputes, VCAT hearings, RDRV mediation, condition reports, and your rights under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (Vic). No legal jargon. No filler. Just the practical steps.
Your rental provider has claimed your bond. You have 14 days. This is the complete process, from lodging at RTBA Online to winning at VCAT if it goes that far. Updated for the RDRV-first system introduced in June 2025.
What tribunal members actually look for, in the order they look for it. Condition reports, photos, emails, receipts, written statements, and the five mistakes that lose cases before they start.
RDRV launched in June 2025 as the free, fast, phone-based mediation service before VCAT. Most Victorian bond disputes now settle here. Here's how the process actually runs and how to come in ready.
Your entry condition report is the single most important document of your tenancy. Here's how to fill it out so it protects you, how to supplement it with photos and video, and what to do if your rental provider won't provide one.
Scratched floors, scuffed walls, worn carpet, which does the rental provider have to accept, and which can they claim against your bond? The legal test, the CAV guidelines, and the cases renters win.