Moving house in Victoria used to mean paying two bonds at once. The new place wants a month’s rent as bond before you get the keys. The old bond is still sitting with the RTBA, and you won’t see it until your last inspection is done and the claim goes through. For a lot of people I clean for, that overlap is the hardest money in the whole move.
Since 1 July 2026 there’s a way around it. The Victorian Government’s Portable Rental Bond Scheme lets you move the bond you already have to your next rental. It’s optional, it costs $25, and it has a few rules that catch people out.
What actually moves
The scheme doesn’t move a bond record. It moves the money. The government’s FAQ describes it as transferring “the value of your existing bond or ‘bond money’ to your next rental property.”
So you sign the new lease and don’t pay a fresh bond. The RTBA uses your existing bond money for the new property instead.
It isn’t the same thing as a renter transfer, where one person in a share house swaps out and the bond stays on the same property. The FAQ says plainly that the scheme doesn’t cover renter transfers or removing renters. If that’s your situation, our guide to leaving a share house covers the process.
Who can use it
The government’s eligibility list is short, and every line of it has to be true:
- your previous bond is held with the RTBA and hasn’t been claimed
- it isn’t suspended and has no pending transactions against it
- the same renters are on both the old and the new bond, with details that match exactly
- both properties are in Victoria
- every renter on the bond agrees to the Terms and Conditions
And these situations are excluded outright:
| Excluded | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Share house renters moving to different properties | The bond can only follow the whole group together |
| Rooming houses, caravan parks, Part 4A residential parks | These tenancies aren’t covered |
| Bonds funded by a Homes Victoria loan | The loan is tied to one property and goes back to Homes Victoria. You apply for a new bond loan instead |
| You owe money from a previous transfer | Pay that off first |
You can check whether your bond qualifies on your Bond Summary on the RTBA website.
The exact-match rule
This is the rule that trips people up. All renters on the bond being transferred must match the renters on the new bond exactly, “including spelling of name, contact details and date of birth.”
That means a new mobile number, an email you’ve since stopped using, or a middle name that appears on one lease and not the other can all break eligibility. Sort it out before you apply for the new place, not the week you move:
If only your email or mobile has changed, the government says you can update those yourself. For anything else, like a name or date of birth, ask the rental provider on your existing bond to update it. Once the details are fixed, you may need to ask the new rental provider to cancel and resubmit the new bond lodgement.
A couple moving in together from two separate rentals can’t use it either. The FAQ says two bonds from different tenancies can’t be combined into one new bond.
How to do it
- Sign the lease for the new property. The FAQ says you must have signed it but not yet paid the bond under it.
- Tell the new rental provider or agent you’ll pay the bond directly to the RTBA.
- They lodge the bond request, and the RTBA emails you to review and complete the lodgement.
- Opt in, agree to the Terms and Conditions and pay the $25 application fee.
- If the new bond is higher than your old one, pay the difference.
CAV’s lodgement page says renters must accept a lodgement within 14 days or it’s no longer available to complete, so don’t let that email sit.
When the bonds aren’t the same size
The scheme doesn’t let you pick an amount. The rules work out like this:
| New bond compared with old | What happens |
|---|---|
| Higher | Your whole existing bond moves across, and you pay the difference |
| The same | Your whole existing bond moves across |
| Lower | Only what’s needed moves. The rest stays on your old bond until it’s claimed, and if nobody claims against it, it comes back to you through the standard RTBA claim process |
Your old landlord can still claim
This is what the $25 doesn’t change, and it’s worth reading twice.
Your bond has moved, but your old tenancy still ends the normal way. The rental provider at the first property can still make a bond claim. The government’s explanation:
If this happens and the claim is successful, the Government will pay out the claim for the first property to the rental provider on your behalf, up to the total bond amount. That amount then becomes a bond repayment owed by you as the renter to the State.
So a cleaning or damage deduction you’d normally lose from your refund turns into a debt. Standard terms give you 8 weeks to pay, with reminders after that, and payment plans are available if you’re in financial hardship. While you owe that money, you can’t use the scheme for your next move.
You keep the same right to dispute the claim through Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria or VCAT. Nothing about the dispute process changes.
In practice that makes the last clean on the old place matter more, not less. If the kitchen or the carpets get knocked back, you won’t find out through a smaller refund. You’ll get a bill from the State. The exit inspection is measured against your condition report, and the claim process itself is in getting your bond back through the RTBA.
Is it worth $25?
If paying two bonds at once would hurt, yes, it’s a cheap way to avoid it. CAV’s bond page puts the usual cap at one month’s rent, so on most Victorian rentals you’re talking about keeping a month’s rent in your account instead of floating it for weeks.
If the old bond is small, your details don’t match cleanly, or you expect a fight over the old place, paying the new bond normally is simpler. You’d still get the old bond back through the usual claim, and any deduction would come out of the refund instead of turning into money you owe the State.
The short version
Since 1 July 2026 you can move your RTBA bond to your next Victorian rental for a $25 fee instead of paying a second bond upfront. Every renter has to be on both bonds with details that match exactly. Share houses splitting up, rooming houses, caravan parks and Homes Victoria bond loans are excluded. Your old landlord can still claim after the bond has moved, and a successful claim becomes money you owe the State, usually within 8 weeks.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Portable Rental Bond Scheme in Victoria?
It's a Victorian Government scheme that started on 1 July 2026. Instead of paying a new bond upfront while you wait for your old one to come back, you transfer the value of your existing bond held by the RTBA to your next rental property. It's optional, and it costs a $25 application fee.
Who is eligible to transfer a bond?
Your existing bond has to be held by the RTBA, unclaimed, not suspended and without pending transactions. The same renters must be on both the old and new bond with details that match exactly, including name spelling, contact details and date of birth. Both properties have to be in Victoria, and every renter on the bond must agree to the terms.
Who can't use it?
Share house renters who are moving to different properties, people in rooming houses, caravan parks or residential parks (Part 4A dwellings), anyone whose bond was funded by a Homes Victoria bond loan, and anyone who still owes the Victorian Government money from a previous bond transfer.
Can my old landlord still claim against the bond after it has been transferred?
Yes. The Victorian Government says the rental provider for the first property can still make a bond claim. If that claim succeeds, the Government pays it to the rental provider on your behalf, up to the total bond amount, and that amount becomes a repayment you owe the State. Standard terms give you 8 weeks to pay, and payment plans exist for hardship. You can still dispute the claim through Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria or VCAT.
What if my new bond is smaller than my old one?
Only the amount needed for the new bond is transferred. The rest stays on your existing bond until it's claimed, and if there are no claims on it, the difference comes back to you through the normal RTBA bond claim process.
- Victorian Government, Portable Rental Bond Scheme (updated 1 July 2026)
- Victorian Government, About the Portable Rental Bond Scheme (eligibility, exclusions, claims after transfer, updated 11 September 2026)
- Victorian Government, How portable bonds work (FAQs, updated 11 September 2026)
- Consumer Affairs Victoria, Portable rental bonds are now here (1 July 2026)
- Consumer Affairs Victoria, Bond amounts and payments (updated 5 July 2026)
- Consumer Affairs Victoria, Lodging the bond with the RTBA
This guide is general information based on official sources current at the date shown above. Tenancy law differs by state and by agreement. For decisions about your own bond, check the official body linked above or get advice for your situation.
Keep reading
In Victoria a rental provider or agent can only list you on a tenant database after the lease has ended, and only if a breach left you owing more than the bond or led to a VCAT possession order. They have to warn you in writing and give you 14 days to object first. A listing is gone after three years at most, and sooner if you pay what you owe within three months.
In Victoria your bond has to sit with the RTBA, not in your landlord's account. If you paid the agent, they must lodge it within 14 days, the RTBA sends every renter a receipt with a bond number, and you can look the bond up online. Check it before you move out, because you need that bond number to claim it back.
A rental provider in Victoria can only end your tenancy for a reason on Consumer Affairs Victoria's list, and most of the end-of-lease reasons need 90 days' notice and paperwork attached. If the evidence is missing the notice is invalid, you have 30 days to challenge it at VCAT, and you can leave sooner on 14 days' notice of your own.