Related information
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.
SA Housing Trust 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.
Find out how to change information regarding a bond lodged with CBS or change the bond amount.
Changing details on a bond
Updating details about a bond is quick and easy using your RBO account.
How to update bond details
Tenants and park residents.
Real estate agents, landlords and proprietors.
Increasing the bond
If the rent has increased since the lease was signed, the landlord can top up the bond after two years from either the:
- tenancy start date, or
- last top up, if the rent has increased again.
The tenant has two options:
- ask SA Housing Trust to release the original bond guarantee, allowing the tenant to apply for a new guarantee to cover the increased amount
- pay the amount the bond has increased while retaining the original bond guarantee.
The relevant limit should be calculated by reference to the weekly rent amount paid at the time the notice of increase is given - not the number of weeks that may have applied before maximum amounts were reduced on 1 April 2023.
Maximum amount of bond that can be requested
SA Housing Trust bond guarantees cannot be increased beyond the guarantee amount.
Tenants and park residents
If the landlord seeks an increase, the tenant has two options:
- Ask SA Housing Trust to release the original bond guarantee, allowing the tenant to apply for a new guarantee to cover the increased amount.
- Pay the amount the bond has increased while keeping the original bond guarantee.
Real estate agents, park operators, landlords and proprietors
Landlords must lodge the increase through RBO within two weeks of receiving a payment from a tenant (if the increase is not already paid through RBO). Registered agents have four weeks to lodge a bond increase.
