Residential bonds are held by Consumer and Business Services (CBS) during the tenancy. The full amount is given back to the tenant or resident at the end of the tenancy, if there are no claims for outstanding rent, cleaning or other costs.
Housing SA will contact you every 12 months – or at the end of the lease – if they have provided the bond. You will need to respond to ensure the bond remains lodged or it could be released.
Related information
Agents must use Residential Bonds Online (RBO) to manage a bond. This includes Housing SA bond guarantees. Landlords can choose to use RBO or manage bonds manually.
RBO tasks for managing a bond include:
- changing property information such as owner and agency details
- updating tenant information
- importing manually lodged bonds.
Tenant access to RBO
Landlords can add or change a tenant's email address any time during the tenancy. Tenants who are active on RBO can:
- check the details of their bond
- request a refund
- approve or dispute a refund request submitted by the landlord or proprietor.
Add or change an email address in RBO
Other ways to update bond details
Landlords or proprietors who are not registered with RBO can complete the relevant form and return it to CBS:
Change of ownership or agent form (305.2 KB PDF)
Change of tenant form (327.2 KB PDF)
Some bond guarantee details cannot be changed.
Increasing the bond
The bond can be increased after two years, but not increased again for a further two years.
Landlords and agents can lodge the increase through RBO. If lodging at a CBS office or by post, include the original bond number on a new bond lodgement form.
Maximum amount of bond that can be requested
Landlords must lodge the increase within two weeks of receiving it. Registered agents have four weeks to lodge it.
Rooming house bonds cannot be increased.
Housing SA bond guarantees can't be increased. The original bond guarantee will need to be released, allowing the tenant to apply for a new one through Housing SA.
