Tasmania Exit Condition Report: Complete Guide for Property Managers (2026)

The exit condition report documents the physical condition of a rental property after the tenant has vacated — once all belongings have been removed and the keys returned. In Tasmania, this document is compared against the entry condition report to identify changes that occurred during the tenancy. The comparison determines which of those changes exceed fair wear and tear and could justify a deduction from the security deposit.

Tasmania's exit condition report framework has two features that set it apart from every other Australian state. First, there is no prescribed exit condition report form. Unlike Queensland, which mandates the RTA Form 14a, or Victoria, which requires the prescribed Form 4, Tasmania's Residential Tenancy Act 1997 does not specify a particular document structure for exit condition reporting. Property managers may use the Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) Word template — freely available from the CBOS website — but they are not legally required to do so.

Second, and more consequentially, Section 28 of the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 imposes a hard deadline that catches property managers off guard: the owner must give the tenant a signed claim form within 3 working days of the tenancy ending and lodge the claim in the MyBond portal within the same window. This is not a deadline that can be extended or recovered. An owner who misses the Section 28 window opens the door for the tenant to apply under Section 29B to have the full bond returned without deduction. For property managers who have worked in other states and are accustomed to more forgiving timelines, Section 28 is the single most dangerous procedural trap in Tasmania's exit process.

For a full treatment of the entry condition report process — including the equally important 2-day tenant return window — see the Tasmania condition report requirements guide.

Three provisions of the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 (Tas) govern the exit condition report and bond claim process:

Section 26 establishes the condition report framework for the full tenancy lifecycle. At entry, it requires the owner to give the tenant two signed copies of the condition report on or before the day of occupation (only where a bond is required). At exit, the same section provides the documentary basis for the end-of-tenancy comparison — the entry condition report completed under Section 26 is the baseline against which exit condition is measured.

Section 53 establishes the tenant's core obligation at the end of the tenancy: the tenant must deliver up vacant possession of the premises in the same condition they were in at the commencement of the tenancy, fair wear and tear excepted. This provision is the legal foundation for any bond claim based on condition. The exit condition report is the evidence that either supports or undermines a claim under this section.

Section 28 carries the sharpest consequences. On termination of the tenancy agreement, the owner must give the tenant a signed claim form within 3 working days of the termination date. Where the owner intends to claim against the bond, the form must be accompanied by a written notice stating the reasons. The claim must also be initiated in the Rental Deposit Authority's MyBond portal within the same 3-working-day window. An owner who misses both obligations may find the tenant exercising their right under Section 29B to apply for the full bond to be returned — the owner's claim lapses.

Property managers should also note the Residential Tenancy Amendment (Pets) Act 2025, in force in Tasmania from 20 March 2026. These provisions are relevant to exit condition reporting where the tenancy included an approved pet — the exit report should document any pet-related condition against the baseline established when the pet was approved.

Tasmania is the only Australian state where the statutory condition report obligation exists alongside no prescribed form. NSW mandates the Schedule 2 prescribed form. Queensland mandates the RTA Form 1a at entry and Form 14a at exit. Victoria requires the prescribed Form 4. Western Australia requires the Property Condition Report. Tasmania requires only "a report stating the condition of the premises."

In practice, the near-universal standard is the CBOS Word template, available from cbos.tas.gov.au. The template is organised room by room, with condition description fields and space to reference photographs. Most property managers and agencies operating in Tasmania use this template or a format modelled on it.

CBOS has also issued guidance explicitly stating that photographs are an acceptable form of condition report in Tasmania, provided they are clear and dated. This means a comprehensive, timestamped photo set can technically satisfy the documentation requirement. In practice, however, a photo set without written descriptions is harder to present coherently to the Residential Tenancy Commissioner. The combination of the CBOS template structure (or an equivalent written record) with timestamped photographs provides the strongest evidentiary position.

The absence of a mandatory form creates both flexibility and risk. Property managers may use whatever format their inspection software generates. The risk is that a format designed for another state — one that does not create a clear room-by-room entry-exit comparison — may be less effective before the Commissioner than the CBOS template structure. If you use third-party inspection software, confirm the output makes the entry-exit comparison clear rather than producing two unlinked documents that must be cross-referenced manually.

In Tasmania, both the property manager and the tenant have a role in the exit condition report process — though their practical obligations differ.

The property manager should conduct their own independent exit inspection and document the property's condition as close to the tenant's vacate date as practicable. This inspection must occur after the tenant has removed all belongings and returned the keys. An inspection conducted while furniture or personal items remain cannot accurately assess floors, built-in storage interiors, or wall surfaces behind furniture.

The tenant is also expected to complete an exit condition report and give a copy to the owner. Not all tenants do this in practice, and the property manager's own exit inspection record becomes the primary documentary evidence. An absent or incomplete tenant exit report does not automatically resolve a bond dispute in the property manager's favour, but it does mean the comparison rests primarily on the property manager's evidence.

Conducting the exit inspection jointly — with both the property manager and the tenant present — is strongly advisable where practicable. A joint walkthrough allows disagreements about condition to be identified and discussed in real time, reducing the likelihood of a formal Commissioner dispute. Note in writing whether the tenant was invited to attend and whether they did. If the tenant declines, conduct the inspection alone and document the invitation and response.

Critically: conduct the exit inspection before any contractors attend the property. Cleaners, painters, and tradespeople must not visit the premises until after the exit documentation is fully completed and photographed. The exit report must record the condition the tenant left the property in, not the condition after any rectification work. Issue no work orders until the exit inspection is complete.

Section 28 of the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 is the provision that most often derails otherwise well-managed exit processes in Tasmania. The rule is straightforward but unforgiving:

On termination of the tenancy agreement, the owner — or property manager acting as their authorised agent — must give the tenant a signed claim form within 3 working days of the termination date.

Where the owner intends to claim against the bond, the claim form must state the reasons. Under Section 45 of the Act, bond deductions are permitted for unpaid rent or charges under the tenancy agreement; the cost of cleaning required to return the property to the same standard of cleanliness as at the start of the tenancy (excluding fair wear and tear); and the cost of repairing damage caused by breach of the tenancy agreement beyond fair wear and tear.

The claim must also be lodged in the Rental Deposit Authority's MyBond portal within the 3-working-day window. Receiving the keys and then spending several days assessing the property before lodging is a common mistake that puts property managers at risk of missing the deadline.

If the owner does not provide the claim form within 3 working days and lodge in MyBond, Section 29B gives the tenant the right to apply for the full bond to be returned. The tenant does not need to prove that no damage occurred — the owner's failure to meet the Section 28 deadline is sufficient grounds. The Commissioner cannot retrospectively extend the window.

The practical implication: treat the Section 28 deadline as the first priority on vacate day. Conduct the exit inspection, complete the initial condition assessment, and lodge the MyBond claim form within 3 working days of the tenancy ending — even if you are still gathering invoices. The claim can be refined with supporting evidence after lodgement; what cannot be recovered is a missed Section 28 window.

Work through the property systematically, room by room, using the entry condition report as your reference. Every item documented at entry needs a corresponding assessment at exit. The areas most commonly raised in Tasmania bond disputes are:

Living areas: Walls at shoulder height and around light switches, ceilings, floor coverings (stains, burns, tears, or pet-related damage), windows and tracks, door surfaces and handles, light fittings, and any curtains, blinds, or wall-mounted inclusions.

Bedrooms: All wall surfaces, carpet or floor covering condition, built-in wardrobe interiors (shelves, hanging rails, wardrobe floor), ceiling fans or air conditioning units, and light fittings.

Bathrooms: Tiles and grout (mould, cracking, staining), shower screen condition and silicon seals, bath surface if present, toilet bowl and cistern interior, vanity surface, tapware, mirror, and exhaust fan.

Kitchen: Oven interior and exterior (grease, food residue, condition of racks and elements), cooktop surface and elements, rangehood and filter, dishwasher interior where included, all bench surfaces, splashback, sink and tapware, and every cupboard inside and out.

External areas: Lawns (mowed and edged, or not), garden beds, paths and paving, fencing, carport or garage floor surface, letterbox, clothesline, and any included external structures.

For each area where exit condition differs from entry, document the difference specifically: the room, the surface, the nature and approximate extent of the change. "Bedroom 2, east wall, two anchor holes of approximately 15mm diameter, not recorded at entry" is documentable at a Commissioner hearing. "Wall: some damage" is not. Photograph every recorded difference from the same angle as the corresponding entry photograph where possible.

For tenancies involving an approved pet under the Residential Tenancy Amendment (Pets) Act 2025, compare pet-related condition items against the baseline documented when the pet was approved. Claims for damage that was already present or agreed to at pet approval are unlikely to succeed.

The exit condition report has no standalone purpose — its meaning is entirely relational to the entry condition report. The entry documents the property's condition before the tenancy; the exit documents what it is like after. The comparison between the two, excluding fair wear and tear, determines whether bond deductions are justified.

In Tasmania, the entry condition report baseline is shaped by the 2-day return window. Under Section 26, a tenant who received the entry report and did not return it with disagreements noted within 2 days has accepted the report as accurate. This means the property manager often approaches the exit process with a confirmed, settled baseline — more quickly than in states with longer review windows like NSW (7 days) or the ACT (14 days).

Where the tenant did note specific disagreements at entry — returning the signed copy within 2 days with items marked as disputed — those items are already on record. At exit, the comparison for those items must distinguish between the condition the tenant disputed at entry and any additional change that occurred during the tenancy.

Conduct the exit comparison item by item. For each item in materially worse condition at exit, answer three questions:

First: Was the item already recorded as damaged or defective at entry? If so, it is pre-existing and a claim for that specific damage will not succeed.

Second: Does the deterioration exceed fair wear and tear for the tenancy length and property age? If it falls within normal wear, it is not claimable even if the visual change is evident.

Third: Is the difference demonstrated by timestamped photographs linked to specific items in both condition reports? Without photographic evidence tied to the written record, the written comparison alone may be insufficient before the Commissioner.

See the entry vs exit condition reports guide for a detailed treatment of how the comparison works across different item types and tenancy lengths.

Section 53 of the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 limits the tenant's return obligation to change that exceeds fair wear and tear. Normal deterioration from ordinary residential use is not claimable, regardless of how visible the change may appear.

Examples generally considered fair wear and tear in Tasmania include: minor scuffs and paint marks in high-traffic areas such as hallways and around doorways, slight carpet compression where furniture stood throughout the tenancy, fading of paintwork on sun-facing walls over a multi-year occupancy, and small marks at shoulder height near light switches from regular use.

Examples that typically exceed fair wear and tear and may support a claim include: holes in walls from improperly installed anchors or bolts, carpet stains from spills or pet accidents, burnt or torn floor coverings, broken tiles, persistent grease buildup in an oven from inadequate cleaning during the tenancy, and mould resulting from the tenant's ventilation practices rather than from a building defect.

The length of the tenancy and the age of the property both factor into the Commissioner's assessment. A mark appearing after a one-year occupancy may be assessed differently from the same mark after a five-year tenancy, where considerably more wear from normal use would be expected. Similarly, fittings and surfaces of lower original quality or significant age at the start of the tenancy may show more degradation from normal use than newer installations.

Be selective about what you claim. Overclaiming for items that represent ordinary wear damages the credibility of legitimate claims before the Commissioner — and a Commissioner reviewing a list that mixes genuine damage with normal wear is less likely to give close claims the benefit of the doubt. For worked examples across common rental property scenarios, see the fair wear and tear vs damage guide.

Rental bonds in Tasmania are held by the Rental Deposit Authority, managed through the MyBond online portal. At the end of the tenancy, the bond claim process works as follows:

Within 3 working days of the tenancy ending, the property manager or owner must lodge a claim in MyBond and provide the tenant with a signed Section 28 claim form stating the amount claimed and the reasons. Both steps — the tenant notification and the MyBond lodgement — must occur within the same window.

If both parties agree on the split through MyBond, the bond is released accordingly. If the parties cannot agree, or if the tenant disputes any item, the matter is referred to the Residential Tenancy Commissioner for determination. The Commissioner reviews the evidence submitted by both parties — entry and exit condition reports, photographs, the tenancy agreement, invoices for cleaning or repairs, and any other relevant documentation — and makes a binding decision on how the bond is distributed.

The Commissioner model is generally document-based. Most straightforward bond disputes are resolved through written submissions and photographic evidence without an in-person hearing. This makes the quality of the condition report and the specificity of the photographs particularly important — there is no opportunity to verbally clarify an ambiguous description or explain a photograph in context. What the Commissioner reads is what determines the outcome.

Where a Commissioner determination is not complied with by either party, enforcement is through the Magistrates Court. Amounts claimed beyond the bond itself — where repair costs exceed the bond — also require Magistrates Court proceedings to recover.

For the complete Commissioner dispute process, including how to structure your evidence submission and the Magistrates Court appeal pathway, see the Tasmania bond dispute guide.

Property managers who operate across multiple Australian states should note where Tasmania's exit framework diverges from the norm:

No prescribed exit form. Unlike Queensland (Form 14a), Victoria (Form 4), Western Australia (Property Condition Report), or NSW (Schedule 2 format), Tasmania does not mandate a specific exit condition document. The CBOS template is the practical standard but is not legally required.

Section 28 three-working-day deadline. This is the sharpest bond-claim deadline in Australia. Queensland's equivalent requires filing at QCAT within 7 days of receiving a Notice of Unresolved Dispute — a longer and more structured window. The ACT's two-week dispute window after a bond release application is significantly longer still. Tasmania's 3-working-day window to issue the claim form and lodge in MyBond is the most compressed of any state and the most consequential for a property manager accustomed to working elsewhere.

Commissioner, not a tribunal. Tasmania uses the Residential Tenancy Commissioner for bond disputes — a role within CBOS — rather than a formal civil and administrative tribunal. Unlike QCAT, VCAT, NCAT, or SACAT, the Commissioner model typically resolves disputes through document review. This makes the quality of written evidence more critical, because there is no in-person hearing at which to supplement or clarify written submissions.

Photographs as a standalone report. CBOS guidance allows clear, dated photographs to constitute a condition report on their own. In all other states, photographs are supporting evidence for a written report. In Tasmania, a disciplined photo set may carry the entire evidentiary weight in a simple dispute.

2-day entry return window. The entry condition report baseline in Tasmania is settled within 2 days of move-in — the shortest window in Australia. This stability benefits exit condition reporting: the property manager typically approaches the exit comparison from a confirmed baseline rather than one that is still being contested weeks into the tenancy.

The mistakes most likely to undermine a Tasmania property manager's bond claim follow a consistent pattern:

Missing the Section 28 three-working-day deadline. This is the highest-stakes mistake and the most specific to Tasmania. A thorough exit inspection means nothing if the claim form is not in the tenant's hands and lodged in MyBond within 3 working days of the tenancy ending. Build end-of-tenancy paperwork into your vacate-day checklist and treat MyBond lodgement as the first priority, not the last step after all evidence is gathered.

Inspecting before the property is fully vacated. The exit report must document the property after all belongings have been removed. An inspection conducted while the tenant's furniture remains cannot assess the floor beneath it or the wall surface behind it.

Photographing after contractors have attended. Any cleaning or repair work completed before the exit documentation is finalised destroys evidence of the condition the tenant left the property in. Issue no work orders until the exit inspection is fully complete and photographed.

Vague descriptions. "Walls: some marks" and "carpet: stained" are not sufficient before the Commissioner. Describe each item specifically — the room, the surface, the nature and approximate extent of the change. The Commissioner is working from a document, not a site visit, and can only assess what is written and photographed.

Photos without timestamps. CBOS requires photographs used as condition evidence to be clear and dated. Photographs without embedded timestamps or visible dates are substantially weaker evidence. Use an inspection application that embeds timestamps automatically, or confirm your device's camera date settings are correct before every inspection.

Ignoring the Pets Act 2025 baseline. Where a pet was approved under the Residential Tenancy Amendment (Pets) Act 2025, the approval may have documented a specific condition baseline. Claims for pet-related damage that was already present or agreed to when the pet was approved are unlikely to succeed before the Commissioner.

Not inviting the tenant to the exit inspection. Providing written notice of the exit inspection and inviting the tenant to attend is best practice and protects the integrity of the exit process. Even though the standard entry notice period of 24 hours applies, a brief written invitation and the tenant's response should be retained in the file.