The SA Bond Refund Process Explained (CBS, RBO, SACAT)

In South Australia, residential tenancy bonds are lodged with Consumer and Business Services (CBS), a division of the Attorney-General's Department. Landlords and agents are legally required to lodge the bond with CBS within a set period of receiving it - they cannot simply hold it themselves. You are entitled to a receipt within 48 hours of paying it.

The portal that manages bonds is called Residential Bonds Online (RBO). Through RBO you can see the bond on your record, claim it back at the end of the tenancy, respond to a claim from your landlord or agent, and update your contact details. If you have ever rented in SA, you have been part of this system whether or not you have logged in to it.

The maximum bond a landlord can charge depends on the weekly rent:

• Up to 4 weeks rent where weekly rent is $800 or less
• Up to 6 weeks rent where weekly rent is more than $800

If you paid more than this when you signed the lease, that is worth checking with CBS - they can confirm the bond amount on file and tell you if it was lodged correctly.

The single most important practical step at the start of any tenancy: make sure CBS has your current contact details (email and phone). If a claim is later made and CBS cannot reach you, you can be treated as 'silent' (more on that below) and the bond paid out without your input.

If you and your landlord or agent agree on the refund (no claim against the bond, or you have agreed on a specific deduction), the process is straightforward.

The steps:

• At the end of the tenancy, you and the agent walk through the property and compare against the start-of-tenancy condition report.
• Either you (tenant-initiated) or the agent (landlord-initiated) submits a bond refund claim through RBO.
• If the other party agrees, the bond is paid out.
• The funds are paid by EFT, usually within about 5 working days. EFT typically lands in your account within 24 to 48 hours after the release. Cheques (rare these days) take longer, around 5 to 10 business days.

Co-tenants: from 1 July 2024, a full refund must be paid to co-tenants in equal shares unless each co-tenant consents to unequal shares. So if you shared the lease, RBO splits the refund evenly unless every co-tenant agrees in writing to a different split. If your old housemate has moved on and you are not in touch with them, this can slow things down - get the conversation going before you submit the claim.

The practical reality: most bond refunds in SA are undisputed and processed quickly. The horror stories you read online are the minority of cases - but they are a meaningful minority, and they almost always involve a disagreement over cleaning. The next sections cover what to do if you are in that situation.

If you and your landlord or agent cannot agree, a party will lodge a claim through RBO for some or all of the bond. This is the trigger for the formal dispute process under the Residential Tenancies Act 1995 (SA).

The process:

• The applying party (usually the agent) lodges a notice of claim through RBO, claiming a specific dollar amount for specific reasons - typically cleaning, damage beyond fair wear and tear, unpaid rent, water charges, or rubbish removal.
• CBS posts the notice to the other party (usually the tenant).
• The other party has 14 days to dispute the claim (Residential Tenancies Act 1995 (SA) s 63; Residential Tenancies Regulations 2025 (SA) reg 15).
• If the claim is not disputed within 14 days, CBS pays the bond to the applicant on the basis claimed.
• If the claim is disputed, the matter moves to conciliation through the CBS Tenancies Branch.

The 14-day clock starts running from the date CBS posts or sends the notice. Do not assume the notice will arrive instantly - check RBO regularly during the period after you vacate. Distressed tenants regularly miss the 14-day window because they were not checking, or because they had moved house and not updated their address.

What to do inside the 14 days:

• Read the claim carefully. CBS notices set out exactly what is being claimed and why.
• Gather your evidence: condition report, dated move-out photos, bond clean invoice with scope, communications with the agent.
• Compare the claim against your evidence. Is the agent claiming for items that were already there at move-in? Is the cleaning claim outside the 'reasonably clean' standard under s 69(3)?
• Respond through RBO. You can dispute the whole claim, agree to part and dispute the rest, or make a counter-offer (see below).

Rather than simply accepting or rejecting a notice of claim, the party receiving it may make a counter-offer. A counter-offer is a proposal that splits the bond differently to what the other side has claimed - for example, the agent claims $400 for cleaning, you counter-offer at $150 for the part you accept and $0 for the part you do not.

The value of a counter-offer:

• It opens a negotiation rather than locking you into a yes-or-no on the agent's number.
• It can often resolve the dispute without going to conciliation, let alone SACAT.
• It signals to the agent that you understand the process and you have a position.

Making a counter-offer is not an admission. You are not conceding the rest of the claim by accepting part of it. If the counter-offer is rejected, the dispute simply proceeds to conciliation or SACAT as normal.

When to counter-offer rather than dispute the whole claim:

• The agent's claim is partly fair (for example, an oven that genuinely was not cleaned), and partly unfair (a 'wall washing' charge for marks that existed at move-in).
• You have done some calculation of where you actually stand and decided you would rather pay a smaller, agreed amount than spend weeks in dispute over the full claim.
• You want to resolve quickly because moving into the next property is more important than the principle of the last $100.

If you dispute a claim within the 14 days and the parties still cannot agree, the CBS Tenancies Branch attempts conciliation. This is a free, informal process designed to settle the matter without going to a tribunal.

What happens:

• A CBS conciliator contacts both parties and works through the disputed items.
• The conciliator does not decide who is right or wrong - they help the parties reach an agreement.
• If an agreement is reached, CBS releases the bond on that basis.
• If no agreement is reached, the matter may be referred to SACAT for a binding determination.

What to bring to conciliation:

• Your start-of-tenancy condition report
• Dated photos from move-in and move-out
• Bond clean invoice with scope and any receipts for additional cleaning
• Communications with the agent (emails, texts, letters)
• A clear, written summary of what you accept and what you dispute, with reasons

Conciliation works best when both parties come ready to compromise. If you have a reasonable position with evidence to support it, most claims are resolved at this stage without the cost or stress of a tribunal hearing.

If conciliation fails, the matter may be referred to the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT). SACAT is the independent body that hears residential tenancy disputes in SA and makes binding determinations. Cleaning and rubbish removal are among the most common end-of-tenancy disputes SACAT hears.

What to expect:

• SACAT lists the matter for hearing. Either party can attend in person or by phone.
• Both sides present their evidence and arguments. You do not need a lawyer; many tenancy matters are resolved without one.
• A Tribunal Member hears the case and makes a binding decision on how the bond should be divided.
• CBS then releases the bond in line with the SACAT decision.

What SACAT looks at:

• The condition report and move-in/move-out photos
• Receipts, invoices, and scope documents (yours and the agent's)
• Whether the items in dispute were 'reasonably clean' under s 69(3) RTA SA or whether they were beyond fair wear and tear
• Communications between the parties

The SACAT process is more formal than conciliation but it is genuinely accessible to renters. Filing fees may apply and may be refundable in some circumstances. See /guides/sacat-bond-disputes-explained for a fuller walk-through of the SACAT process, and /guides/what-to-do-if-your-agent-rejects-the-clean for what to do at the moment the agent first rejects the clean.

Note: a managing-party claim made more than 12 months after the tenancy ends does not go through the CBS process at all - it must go straight to SACAT. There is no equivalent time limit for tenant claims, but the practical advice is the same: act promptly while the evidence is fresh.

If a tenant listed on a bond does not respond to a notice of claim within the time set (the 14-day window), they may be treated as 'silent'. The Commissioner then deals with the claim without further input from that tenant.

The practical effect: a 'silent' tenant typically loses by default. If the agent has claimed an amount and you do not dispute it inside 14 days, you may be paying it whether you agree or not.

The single thing you can do to protect yourself:

• Keep your RBO contact details current. If you move out of SA, if you change your email, if your phone number changes - update RBO. CBS sends notices to the address and email they have on file.
• Check your post and inbox for the period after you vacate. CBS does not chase you. If a notice goes unread for 14 days, that is on you.
• Set a calendar reminder for 14 days from your move-out to actively check RBO and your bond status.

If you want a smooth, undisputed bond refund, the work starts before you move out. A timeline that has worked for thousands of Adelaide renters:

2-3 weeks before vacate:

• Locate your start-of-tenancy condition report
• Read your lease to check for any specific end-of-tenancy clauses (carpet cleaning, garden, pest control)
• Decide DIY or professional clean. If professional, book early - the best Adelaide cleaners book out in the move-heavy weekends
• Update your RBO contact details

1 week before vacate:

• Complete the bulk of the cleaning while you still have access
• If using a cleaner, confirm the booking and the scope in writing
• Photograph the property as it stands

Vacate day:

• Final clean (or cleaner attends)
• Walk through with the agent if possible
• Take dated move-out photos in the same order as your move-in photos
• Hand over keys, confirm in writing what was agreed at the inspection

24-72 hours after vacate:

• Submit the bond refund claim through RBO
• If you used a cleaner with a re-clean window, this is when you would use it if the agent raised something

5 working days after the claim:

• For undisputed claims, the bond is paid by EFT
• Check your account; check RBO

If a claim is disputed:

• You receive a notice from CBS
• Respond within 14 days through RBO with your evidence
• Conciliation
• SACAT if needed

A disputed claim does not mean you lose the bond. It means the process is longer. With a condition report, dated photos and (if applicable) a scoped bond clean invoice, you have what you need to argue your position.