Refund disputes

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Refund Dispute Resolution Services

If the tenant and the lessor/agent are unable to resolve disputes on how the bond should be refunded either party can complete a Refund of Rental Bond (Form 4) and post it to the RAB. The RAB will process the first form it receives.

The party completing the form needs to indicate on the form what amount of bond they are claiming and also the date the tenancy ended.

When the RAB receives the form, they will send a Notice of Claim and a Dispute Resolution Request (Form 16), to the party or parties who have not signed the form.

The RAB allows 14 days (plus 2 days to allow for postal delivery) for those that did not sign the form to send the RAB the Dispute Resolution Request (Form 16). If a Form 16 is not received within that time the RAB will pay the bond as directed on the first form received.

If a Form 16 is received by the RAB, the Dispute Resolution Service will assist the parties to resolve the dispute. If the dispute cannot be resolved, a Notice of Unresolved Dispute will be sent to the party that responded to the claim. That party is then responsible for making an application to the Small Claims Tribunal to sort out the claims to the bond. The application to the Small Claims Tribunal must be made within 7 days of receiving the Notice of Unresolved Dispute. When the application is made to the Small Claims Tribunal, they will give provide a receipt. The details of the receipt must be written on the tear-off slip included on the Notice of Unresolved Dispute and returned to the RAB.

The RAB will send the Notice of Claim to the address shown on our records, which is often the address of the rental premises. When you leave the property, please let us know how we can reach you.