More than 110,000 Queensland tenants have forgotten to reclaim a collective $52 million in rental bonds, according to the state’s residential authority.
According to data from the Residential Tenancies Authority in Queensland, the smallest bond being held for a tenant is 1c, while the biggest is $25,796.
RTA chief executive Jennifer Smith told The Courier Mail 31.5 per cent of the bonds were for $100 or less, 22.5 per cent were between $101 and $300, while 46 per cent were between $301 and $5000 and 0.1 per cent were valued at $5000 or more.
“While it’s hard to imagine forgetting to claim a rental bond, ending a tenancy can be a busy time for all involved,” Ms Smith said.
“Our oldest outstanding bond payment dates back to 1990, so if you’ve forgotten to claim your rental bond, regardless of how long it’s been, this campaign is your reminder to check in with us.
“In most cases, when a tenancy ends, the RTA will issue a bond refund to relevant parties to the bank account details provided. Sometimes these refunds are not successful, due to missing or incorrect customer details.”
The Queensland suburb with the most outstanding or forgotten bond payments is Surfers Paradise with 1814, followed by Southport at 1420 and South Brisbane with 1012.
St Lucia (1012), Toowong (836), Brisbane City (799), Robina (760), West End (689), New Farm (645) and Fortitude Valley (586) round out the top 10.
If you think you’re one of the tenants owed bonds, you can check by submitting an online enquiry via the RTA website rta.qld.gov.au/bondpayments.
“The average value of an outstanding bond payment is $454.99, so it does pay to keep your details up to date with the RTA, as this ensures that you will be able to receive these funds quickly,” Ms Smith said.
