If you are reading this because you just received a notification that your rental provider is claiming some or all of your bond, take a breath. The window is tight, but it is workable. Most Victorian renters who respond properly and have even basic evidence recover most or all of their bond.

This guide walks through the current 2026 process, including the Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria (RDRV) service that launched in June 2025 and changed how most bond disputes start.

What this guide covers

  1. Read the RTBA notification first
  2. What the rental provider has to prove
  3. Gather evidence before you respond
  4. How to respond through RTBA Online
  5. What happens at RDRV mediation
  6. If it goes to a VCAT hearing
  7. Five mistakes that lose bond disputes
  8. Official resources and where to get help

1. Read the RTBA notification carefully

When a rental provider lodges a claim against your bond, the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA) sends you a notification, usually by email and SMS, with a link to RTBA Online. The notification contains three things you need to find immediately:

Critical: Do not click "accept" on the RTBA portal if you disagree with any part of the claim. Accepting is usually irrevocable. If you are unsure, do not accept.

2. Understand what the rental provider has to prove

A common assumption among renters is that the burden is on you to prove why you should get your bond back. That is the opposite of how the Act works. The rental provider must prove their claim. You are not obliged to disprove allegations, you are obliged to show they have not proven them.

In practice, the rental provider needs to show:

  1. What the property condition was at entry (the signed entry condition report is the key document here)
  2. What the property condition was at exit
  3. That the difference is not fair wear and tear
  4. The actual cost of rectification (usually through quotes or receipts)

If they cannot produce an entry condition report, or the exit photos are poor quality, or they claim for items that are in the entry report, or the quoted amount is disproportionate, each of these weakens their case substantially.

A large claim does not mean a strong claim. Some rental providers lodge exaggerated claims as leverage, expecting renters to settle for less. The correct response is usually not to split the difference, it is to make them prove every dollar.

3. Gather your evidence before you respond

Before you respond to the claim on RTBA Online, collect the following. You will need this material at both RDRV mediation and, if it gets that far, a VCAT hearing.

Entry evidence

Exit evidence

Communication records

Written statement

Draft a one-to-two-page plain-English statement of events. Start at move-in, end at move-out, stick to dated facts, and identify which evidence supports each claim. This is the backbone of your case.

14
The number of days you have to respond to a bond claim before it is processed in the rental provider's favour. Evidence gathering happens within this window.

4. Respond through RTBA Online

Log in to RTBA Online and select the option to contest or dispute the claim. You do not need to provide full evidence at this stage, that comes later at RDRV. At this step you are simply marking the claim as contested, which triggers the referral to RDRV mediation.

If you only disagree with part of the claim, you can contest that portion and accept the rest. But think carefully before doing this. Once you accept any part, you cannot later argue it.

Once you have contested, the RTBA places the bond on hold and refers the matter to Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria.

5. What happens at RDRV mediation

RDRV is a free service that launched in June 2025 as part of VCAT. It replaces the previous system where bond disputes went straight to formal VCAT hearings. The goal is to resolve disputes faster, cheaper, and without either party needing to attend a tribunal.

The typical RDRV process runs like this:

  1. Application assessment. A Resolution Coordinator reviews the claim and your response.
  2. Document exchange. You and the rental provider both submit your evidence, condition reports, photos, receipts, communications.
  3. Phone or video mediation. The Resolution Coordinator facilitates a conversation between both parties. This is not a courtroom. It is a structured negotiation.
  4. Agreement or escalation. Most cases settle here, often with a partial split that reflects the strength of each side's evidence. If no agreement is reached, the Resolution Coordinator confirms this and the matter can proceed to a formal VCAT hearing.

The biggest advantage of RDRV is that it surfaces the weakness in exaggerated claims early. Rental providers who lodged opportunistically often drop their claim or reduce it significantly at this stage.

How to prepare for RDRV: Have your evidence organised and labelled before the mediation call. Be factual and calm. Know the specific sections of the Residential Tenancies Act that apply to your situation. Do not negotiate against yourself, the Resolution Coordinator is there to help both sides, and you do not have to accept the first offer.

6. If the dispute goes to a VCAT hearing

If RDRV cannot resolve the dispute, your case proceeds to a Residential Tenancies List hearing at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). This is a formal hearing with a legally binding outcome.

You do not need a lawyer for a VCAT bond hearing. Most renters represent themselves successfully. The tribunal is designed to be accessible, and members routinely guide self-represented parties through the process.

What you need for a VCAT hearing:

The member will hear both parties, examine evidence, and usually deliver a decision at the end of the hearing or shortly afterwards. The RTBA then releases funds in accordance with the order, typically within a few business days.

7. Five mistakes that lose bond disputes

In the course of helping Victorian renters through bond disputes, a handful of mistakes come up repeatedly. They are all avoidable.

  1. Accepting "just to get it over with." Rental providers often encourage renters to accept the claim and resolve it privately. Once you accept on RTBA Online, your options shrink dramatically. Contest first, negotiate second.
  2. Missing the 14-day window. Check your email and phone daily after the tenancy ends. Missed notifications result in automatic loss.
  3. Treating the condition report as a formality. The entry condition report is the single most important document in your tenancy. If you filled it out in three minutes without noting anything, you are already on the back foot. If future-you is reading this before moving in, read this condition report guide.
  4. Arguing about values, not evidence. "The agent was unreasonable" is not an argument. "The entry condition report does not mention the carpet stain, and here is the report signed by both parties" is.
  5. No chronological statement. Walking into an RDRV call or a VCAT hearing without a written timeline of events means you will forget dates, confuse the order of things, and undermine your credibility. Always write the statement first.

Tenantly builds your evidence bundle automatically.

Video walkthroughs become condition reports. Agent emails become searchable timelines. Bond claims trigger response drafts with the correct Act sections. Free to start.

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Official resources and where to get help

This guide is a starting point. For specific legal advice about your situation, contact:

M
Matthew
Founder, Tenantly · Melbourne, VIC
Tenantly builds AI tools for Australian renters. The company was founded after its founder spent six years fighting a Melbourne rental dispute that ended with a CEO-level resolution. Most renters cannot do that alone. Tenantly is built so they do not have to.