Tasmania Bond Evidence Requirements: A Property Manager's Complete Guide (2026)

Tasmania's bond dispute system operates on a different model from every other Australian state. In Queensland, a disputed bond goes to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT). In New South Wales, it goes to NCAT. In Victoria, VCAT. In South Australia, SACAT. In the ACT, ACAT. In the Northern Territory, NTCAT. All of these are civil and administrative tribunals with formal hearing processes where both parties typically appear and give evidence.

Tasmania uses none of these. Bond disputes that cannot be resolved through the Rental Deposit Authority's MyBond portal are decided by the Residential Tenancy Commissioner — an independent role within Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS). The Commissioner reviews written submissions and evidence. There is no hearing. There is no in-person attendance. There is no opportunity to explain your position verbally or respond in real time to what the tenant says.

This one structural difference has a profound effect on what evidence you need and how you need to build it. In a tribunal setting, you can partially compensate for a thin evidence package with a coherent oral explanation. Before the Commissioner, the document on the page is all that exists. If your condition report does not describe the item clearly, the Commissioner cannot know what condition it was in. If your photograph does not show the damage, the damage is invisible to the decision-maker.

For Tasmania property managers, this means building an evidence record that tells a complete, self-contained story — without the benefit of oral explanation — is not optional. It is the entire task.

This guide covers what evidence to collect, when to collect it, and how to structure it so that if a matter reaches the Commissioner, your case is already complete. For the step-by-step dispute process — claim forms, MyBond, and the Commissioner review procedure — see our Tasmania bond dispute guide. For entry and exit condition report form requirements under Section 26, see our Tasmania condition report requirements guide.

Three sections of the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 (Tas) directly govern the evidence obligations and standards that determine bond claims.

Section 26 — the condition report obligation. Where a landlord requires a bond, two signed copies of a condition report must be given to the tenant on or before the day they take possession. The tenant has just 2 days to return one signed copy noting any agreements or disagreements. If the tenant does not return the report within 2 days, the landlord's version is automatically accepted as an accurate record of the property's condition at the start of the tenancy. This is the mechanism that gives the entry condition report its evidentiary weight — but only if it is specific enough to serve as a meaningful baseline.

Section 28 — the claim form deadline. After the tenancy ends, the owner must give the tenant the claim form within three working days of the termination of the tenancy. This is the most operationally urgent deadline in Tasmania's bond framework. It is not tied to whether a dispute arises — the obligation runs from the day the tenancy terminates, regardless of what the property's condition turns out to be. Missing this deadline can affect the landlord's ability to progress a claim through the standard process.

Section 53 — the fair wear and tear standard. The tenant is required to return the premises in the same condition as at the commencement of the tenancy, apart from fair wear and tear. This is the standard the Commissioner applies when evaluating every item in a disputed bond claim. The bond can only be claimed for damage that exceeds ordinary use — not for normal deterioration from everyday living, and not for items that were already in poor condition at entry.

Understanding how these three sections interact shapes the entire evidence-collection strategy. Section 26 tells you what to build at entry. Section 53 tells you the standard the evidence must satisfy. Section 28 tells you the timeline you are working within after the tenancy ends. All three must be addressed by your evidence package.

Security bonds for Tasmanian residential tenancies are held by the Rental Deposit Authority (RDA), a government body established under the Residential Tenancy Act 1997. The RDA holds the bond for the duration of the tenancy in a neutral capacity and releases it once both parties agree on the distribution, or once the Residential Tenancy Commissioner issues a determination.

Bond transactions are managed through the MyBond portal — the platform used for initial lodgement, updates during the tenancy, and bond claims at the end. Property managers should be registered with MyBond and understand how to initiate a claim and how to respond when a claim is disputed.

When a tenancy ends and the property manager submits a bond claim through MyBond, the RDA notifies the tenant. If the tenant agrees with the claimed amounts, the bond is distributed accordingly. If the tenant disputes the claim, the bond is held by the RDA while the parties attempt to resolve the dispute directly. If no resolution is reached within 10 days, the matter is automatically referred to the Residential Tenancy Commissioner — neither party needs to file an application. The referral happens as part of the MyBond process.

Bonds must be lodged with the RDA promptly at the start of the tenancy. A bond that has not been properly lodged with the RDA cannot be distributed through the standard bond claim process, which creates serious administrative complications if a dispute arises later. Confirming that the bond is lodged correctly is part of the tenancy commencement compliance checklist.

For the evidence purposes of this guide, the MyBond 10-day window after a dispute is raised is the period during which direct resolution is most likely. Property managers who have a complete evidence package ready — entry report, exit report, photographs, invoices — are better positioned to negotiate a partial distribution with the tenant before the matter is referred to the Commissioner. A well-documented claim often resolves without the Commissioner needing to decide anything.

The entry condition report is the foundation of every Tasmanian bond claim. Every item you claim at exit is measured against what you documented at entry. If the entry report is vague, the foundation is weak. If the entry report does not mention an item, claiming for it at exit is unlikely to succeed.

Complete the entry inspection before the tenant takes possession — never after. Once furniture has been moved in, the property can no longer be photographed or described in the state it was in before the tenancy. The inspection must happen in the empty property.

Written description — the standard to aim for. Tasmania does not prescribe a mandatory condition report form, but CBOS provides a Word template as a practical starting point. Regardless of which format you use, every item in every room requires a specific description. The Commissioner cannot interpret "carpet — good" as evidence of anything specific. "Carpet, main bedroom, short-pile, no stains, light scuffing near doorway consistent with property age" gives the Commissioner a precise baseline. Write descriptions a stranger could visualise.

Photographs — accepted as a standalone condition report. CBOS guidance explicitly states that photographs are an acceptable form of condition report in Tasmania, provided they are clear and dated. This makes Tasmania more permissive than most other states, where photographs are supporting evidence for a written report rather than an alternative to one. In practice, the combination of a written room-by-room report and timestamped photographs provides the strongest possible evidentiary record — not one or the other.

What to photograph. Entry photographs should cover every room from a wide-angle establishing shot and close-up detail of any item that could become the subject of a claim — oven interior, rangehood filter, bathroom grout and tiles, shower screen, window tracks, blind slats, carpet at entry points and near furniture placement areas, walls at picture-hanging height, and any outdoor areas including fences and garden condition. Photograph inside cupboards and wardrobes. Photograph key handover in progress to establish the date.

Timestamps. The Commissioner needs to know that entry photographs were taken before the tenancy and exit photographs after. Modern smartphone cameras embed EXIF timestamps in every image. Using an inspection app that explicitly records the date and time in the image or report metadata provides an additional layer of verifiability. Screenshots of photographs do not preserve original timestamps — always use original files.

Signature. The condition report must be signed by the owner or property manager. Two copies are given to the tenant on or before the day they take possession. Tracking the 2-day return window from that date — and following up with the tenant if the signed copy has not been returned — is part of the entry evidence management process.

Tasmania's 2-day tenant return window is the shortest of any Australian jurisdiction and the point at which entry evidence can be strengthened or weakened based on how actively you manage it.

Under Section 26, the tenant must return one signed copy of the condition report within 2 days of receiving it, noting any agreements or disagreements. If the tenant returns the report with disagreements on specific items — noting, for example, that the oven was already unclean or that a wall mark was present at entry — those notations become part of the evidentiary record. They reflect what the tenant observed when they moved in.

If the tenant does not return the report within 2 days, the landlord's version is automatically accepted. This is operationally significant: a thorough, well-photographed entry condition report that is accepted by default because the tenant did not respond in time gives you an extremely strong evidentiary baseline.

Managing the 2-day window in practice means three things. First, communicate the obligation clearly to the tenant at key handover — let them know they have 2 days to review the report and return the signed copy with any noted disagreements. Provide this in writing so the communication is documented. Second, mark a follow-up in your diary for the end of day one, so you can send a prompt reminder if the signed copy has not been returned. Third, retain a record of when you gave the condition report to the tenant — whether that is a signed receipt at key handover, a delivery read receipt on an email, or a timestamped document from your inspection software.

If the tenant returns the report with noted disagreements, review each one. Where a disagreement is legitimate — the tenant has identified something you missed — update the record. Where a disagreement is not supported by your photographs or inspection notes, maintain your documented position and note the discrepancy. A disputed entry condition report is not a failed entry report; it is a record that reflects both parties' observations, and the Commissioner can assess the weight of each.

Under the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 (Tas), a landlord or property manager may conduct routine inspections no more than once every 3 months, with at least 24 hours written notice to the tenant. An additional inspection is permitted within the first month of the tenancy. Inspections must be conducted between 8am and 6pm.

Routine inspection records are not a primary bond evidence document — they are a supplementary one. But they serve a specific and useful purpose: they establish a timeline for when conditions developed or changed during the tenancy.

If your exit report documents damage to a wall that was not present at entry, a routine inspection report from eight months into the tenancy showing the wall in good condition establishes that the damage occurred in the latter part of the tenancy. This makes it harder for a tenant to argue that the damage was pre-existing or occurred before the tenancy began. Routine records also identify the first point at which an issue was observed — useful where a tenant disputes that they were ever notified of a condition concern during the tenancy.

What to include in routine inspection records. For each room assessed, note the general condition. Where any item has changed from the entry state — a new mark on a wall, a stain appearing in carpet that was clean at entry, damage to a fixture that was in working order at the start — record it in writing and photograph it. Issue any relevant maintenance notices or tenant obligations notices promptly and retain copies. If you are documenting an undisclosed pet (relevant under the Pets Act 2025 framework, which came into force in March 2026 for tenancies involving pet requests), note that observation in the routine inspection record.

Issuing notices during the tenancy. If you identify a developing issue during a routine inspection and issue a written notice to the tenant to remedy it — cleaning, garden maintenance, repair of damage — retain copies of the notice and any response. These communications become evidence of when you were aware of an issue and what steps you took, which is relevant context if the same issue appears in the exit bond claim.

The exit inspection must be conducted as close to the day the tenant vacates as possible — ideally on the day of key handover. An exit inspection conducted days or weeks after the tenant has left cannot be reliably tied to the tenant's occupation. If other parties (tradespeople, cleaners, the next tenant) have been in the property between the tenant vacating and the exit inspection, the evidentiary chain is interrupted.

Conduct the inspection with the tenant where possible. An exit inspection conducted in the presence of the tenant is preferable for two reasons. First, it gives both parties the opportunity to discuss any items in real time and potentially reach agreement on the spot, which can resolve disputes before they reach the MyBond portal. Second, a tenant who witnesses the inspection and has the opportunity to comment cannot later claim that damage was present before they left or was caused by someone else after their departure.

If the tenant declines to attend or is not available, issue a written invitation before the inspection date. A dated invitation that the tenant does not respond to is itself useful documentation — it demonstrates that the tenant had the opportunity to be present and chose not to exercise it.

Go item by item against the entry report. For every item in the entry condition report, record the exit condition. Where the condition has changed in a way that might support a claim, describe it specifically and photograph it at close range. The Commissioner needs to understand both what was recorded at entry and what was found at exit — the difference between the two is what the claim is based on.

Photograph every item where a claim is possible. Do not photograph only the items you expect to claim. Photograph all significant areas, including areas that are in acceptable condition. A complete photographic exit record is more persuasive than a targeted one — a record that only shows damaged areas looks curated, whereas a record that shows both the areas in good condition and the areas with issues looks thorough and objective.

Provide a copy to the tenant. Give the tenant a copy of the exit condition report. A tenant who receives the exit report can see the basis for any proposed claims and is better placed to agree to a partial distribution through MyBond. Transparency at this stage reduces the likelihood of a contested referral to the Commissioner.

Once the tenancy ends, Section 28 of the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 activates the most time-critical obligation in Tasmania's bond framework. The owner must give the tenant the claim form within three working days of the termination of the tenancy.

Three working days is a very short window — particularly relative to the evidence-gathering work that typically follows a vacancy. If the tenancy ends on a Friday, the claim form must be with the tenant by Wednesday of the following week at the latest. If it ends mid-week, the window is tighter still.

The critical point is that the Section 28 obligation arises at the moment the tenancy terminates — before the property has been inspected, before invoices have been obtained, and before it is known whether a dispute will arise. You do not wait to see whether you have grounds for a claim before starting the clock. The claim form must be provided regardless.

Treating the claim form as a separate task from the evidence package. The claim form and the supporting evidence are two distinct deliverables. The Section 28 deadline governs the claim form. The evidence package — specific itemised amounts, invoices, condition reports — follows once it is assembled. Property managers who conflate the two and delay providing the claim form while waiting to finalise their evidence will miss the Section 28 deadline.

Build the Section 28 obligation into your vacancy day workflow as a non-negotiable day-one task:

Day 0 (tenancy termination): Conduct exit inspection and document condition.

Day 1–2: Prepare the claim form and serve it on the tenant, even if the full evidence package is not yet assembled.

Day 1–5: Obtain cleaning invoices and repair quotes, complete the evidence package, and submit the full bond claim through the MyBond portal.

Missing the Section 28 window because you were waiting for a carpet cleaning invoice to arrive is not a valid reason for delay. Get the claim form to the tenant first — always — and follow it with the evidence once assembled.

If the bond claim is disputed through MyBond and the matter is automatically referred to the Commissioner after the 10-day resolution window, the Commissioner's office contacts both parties and invites them to submit evidence. This is the stage at which everything you collected throughout the tenancy is assembled into a single submission.

Organise the evidence package in the following order:

1. Entry condition report. The signed baseline document completed before the tenancy began. If the tenant returned a signed copy with disagreements noted, include both versions — yours and the tenant's annotated copy. This allows the Commissioner to understand what was agreed and what was in dispute at the start.

2. Entry photographs. Timestamped photographs from the pre-tenancy inspection, organised by room. The entry photographs are the visual baseline — every exit claim is implicitly compared against these.

3. Exit condition report. Completed on or close to the day of vacancy. For every item where you are claiming deterioration or damage, the exit report should describe the specific condition in detail. "Carpet, lounge room — large irregular stain near eastern wall, blue-grey colour, approximately 600mm x 400mm, not present at entry" gives the Commissioner what they need; "carpet — stained" does not.

4. Exit photographs. Timestamped exit photographs, organised by room to match the entry photographs. Where possible, photograph from the same angle and position as the entry photographs so the change in condition is immediately apparent to the Commissioner.

5. Itemised claim statement. A document specifying each item being claimed, the amount, and the basis for the claim. Cross-reference each item to the entry and exit condition report and to the relevant invoice or quote. This allows the Commissioner to follow the logic of each claim without hunting through the evidence bundle.

6. Invoices and quotes. For every dollar claimed, either a paid invoice or a formal written quote on business letterhead from a qualified service provider, specifying the work performed and the cost. Text message estimates and verbal descriptions are not adequate cost evidence.

7. Rental ledger. If claiming for unpaid rent, water charges, or other monetary obligations under the tenancy agreement, include a complete rental ledger showing the payment history and outstanding amounts current to the end of the tenancy.

8. Routine inspection records. Where relevant to establishing a timeline — for example, a routine inspection report showing walls in good condition eight months ago, compared with significant wall damage at exit — include the relevant records.

Do not include items in the claim that were already noted as damaged or deficient in the entry condition report. The Commissioner applies Section 53 — the landlord can only claim for damage beyond fair wear and tear that was not present at entry. A claim for an item documented as deficient at entry will be rejected, and overclaiming weakens the credibility of legitimate items.

The most consistent reason bond claims fail before the Residential Tenancy Commissioner is a weak or missing entry condition report. Without a specific, detailed entry report, the Commissioner cannot establish the property's baseline condition — and without a baseline, there is no standard against which to measure the exit condition.

Consider the difference between these two scenarios:

In the first, the entry condition report says "carpet — fair" across every room. At exit, the carpet in the main bedroom has a large stain. The property manager claims for carpet cleaning and possible replacement. The tenant says the stain was there when they moved in. The Commissioner has no way to determine whose account is correct — the entry report does not describe the carpet in any specific detail. The claim is likely to fail or be significantly reduced.

In the second, the entry condition report says "carpet, main bedroom, light-coloured short-pile, no stains, minor scuffing at doorway entry, no staining elsewhere" — supported by a close-up photograph of the carpet from the same corner where the exit damage appears. At exit, a large stain appears in the same area. The entry photograph shows no stain. The Commissioner can plainly see that the stain was not present at entry. The claim for cleaning is straightforward to substantiate.

The difference between these two outcomes is entirely a function of what was documented at entry — not what happened at exit, not how good the exit photographs are, not how well-organised the invoice is. The entry report sets the entire evidentiary context. Every other document in the evidence bundle derives its meaning from the entry baseline.

Tasmania's document-based Commissioner process amplifies this principle. There is no hearing at which you can explain that you know the stain was not there when the tenant moved in because you inspected the property personally. The Commissioner can only read what is on the page. Write the entry report as if the Commissioner will be reading it when you are not in the room — because that is exactly what will happen.

Section 53 of the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 is the provision the Commissioner applies to every item in a disputed bond claim: the tenant is required to return the premises in the same condition as at the commencement of the tenancy, apart from fair wear and tear.

Fair wear and tear is the natural deterioration of a property from ordinary everyday use over time. It cannot be claimed against the bond — and including it in a claim is both legally incorrect and strategically counterproductive. An overclaimed bond claim that includes fair wear and tear items signals to the Commissioner that the property manager is not applying the legal standard carefully, which can reduce confidence in the legitimate claims.

Fair wear and tear in a residential tenancy context typically includes: minor scuffs on painted walls from furniture brushing past, light carpet wear in high-traffic areas such as hallways and door entries, small marks on kitchen benchtops from everyday food preparation, gradual discolouration of bathroom grout consistent with normal use and tenancy length, and surface scratches on timber floors in areas where furniture was placed.

The threshold for fair wear and tear shifts depending on the property and the tenancy. An older carpet in a well-used property after a four-year tenancy will legitimately show more wear than a new carpet after a one-year tenancy. The condition of fittings and fixtures at the time of entry — and the age of those fittings — affects what the Commissioner will accept as normal deterioration versus claimable damage.

Items that typically exceed fair wear and tear and may be claimed: large stains on carpet or hard flooring, holes or gouges in walls, broken fixtures or fittings that were working at entry, damage caused by pets, unremediated mould resulting from neglect rather than structural causes, and properties left in an unclean state that requires professional remediation to restore to the entry standard.

Apply the Section 53 standard honestly when compiling your claim. Remove any item that a reasonable person would regard as normal deterioration from the length and nature of the tenancy. A focused, specific claim on legitimate items is far more persuasive before the Commissioner than an inflated claim that includes borderline or incorrect items. For a detailed breakdown of where the line falls across common property areas, see our fair wear and tear vs damage guide.

Property managers who work across multiple Australian states will encounter meaningful differences in the evidence requirements and processes for bond claims. Tasmania has several distinctive features.

No specific evidence disclosure obligation. NSW has Section 165 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010, which requires the landlord to provide the tenant with the exit condition report and all cost documentation within 7 days of making a contested bond claim. There is no equivalent statutory obligation in Tasmania — but the practical effect is similar, because the Commissioner's process involves both parties submitting evidence to the Commissioner's office. The difference is procedural: in NSW, disclosure is an active statutory obligation with an offence penalty for non-compliance; in Tasmania, evidence is submitted to the Commissioner as part of the dispute resolution process.

Section 28 compared with QCAT and NCAT deadlines. In Queensland, once a bond dispute is referred by the Residential Tenancies Authority (after a failed conciliation attempt), the property manager has 7 calendar days to apply to QCAT. In NSW, once an NCAT application is filed, the matter proceeds to hearing on a date set by the Tribunal. In Tasmania, the Section 28 claim form must be provided within 3 working days of the tenancy terminating — before a dispute has even arisen. This is the most immediate and unconditional deadline of any Australian jurisdiction.

Document-based Commissioner process. The Commissioner reviews written evidence only — there is no in-person hearing. This makes the document quality the sole determinant of the outcome. In a tribunal setting (QCAT, NCAT, VCAT), a property manager can partially compensate for thin documentation with a coherent oral account. That option does not exist before the Commissioner.

Photographs as standalone evidence. Tasmania is one of the few Australian jurisdictions where CBOS guidance explicitly states that photographs are an acceptable form of condition report. In most other states, photographs are supporting evidence for a written condition report, not an alternative to one. This gives Tasmania property managers more flexibility in how they structure their evidence — but the strongest record remains a combination of written report and photographs, not one or the other.

No prescribed condition report form. Unlike NSW (Schedule 2) or Queensland (RTA Form 1a), Tasmania does not mandate a specific condition report format. The CBOS Word template is widely used, but property managers may use inspection software or their own format. This flexibility places greater responsibility on the property manager to ensure the content of the report is thorough — there is no form structure enforcing minimum detail.

The evidence requirements for a Tasmanian bond claim fall into four chronological stages. Working through each stage systematically ensures that every element of the evidentiary record is in place before it is needed.

Before the tenancy begins:

Complete a room-by-room condition inspection in the empty property. Record specific descriptions for every item that could change during the tenancy. Photograph every room with both wide-angle and close-up shots, ensuring all photographs are timestamped. Provide two signed copies of the condition report to the tenant on or before the day they take possession. Note the date of delivery in writing (receipt, email, inspection software record). Follow up with the tenant on day 1 or 2 to confirm they have received the report and to prompt return of the signed copy within the 2-day window.

During the tenancy (routine inspections):

Conduct routine inspections no more frequently than once every 3 months, with 24 hours written notice and within 8am–6pm. Record the general condition of each room at each routine inspection. Photograph any changes from the entry condition — new marks, damage, or developing maintenance issues. Issue written notices for any tenant obligations that are not being met. Retain copies of all inspection records and correspondence.

At the end of the tenancy:

Conduct the exit inspection on or as close as possible to the day the tenant vacates. Invite the tenant to be present in writing. Photograph every room with matching angles to the entry photographs. Record specific exit condition descriptions for every item in the entry condition report, noting any changes. Obtain professional invoices or formal written quotes for every item being claimed, ideally within 48 hours of the exit inspection. Provide the Section 28 claim form to the tenant within 3 working days of the tenancy termination. Submit the full bond claim through the MyBond portal once invoices and documentation are assembled.

If a dispute is referred to the Commissioner:

Wait for the Commissioner's office to contact you with evidence submission instructions. Assemble the complete evidence package in the order described in this guide. Ensure every item in the claim is supported by an exit condition report description, a corresponding entry condition report description (or absence of the issue at entry), at least one photograph, and a formal cost document. Submit within the timeframe given. Do not include items that were already noted as damaged at entry, or items that represent fair wear and tear.