The Condition Report: How It Decides Who Pays at the End of a Lease

Most arguments at the end of a lease come down to one piece of paper. The condition report records what the property looked like the day the tenancy started, and when it ends that same report is the first thing a tribunal reads before deciding whether a landlord can keep part of the bond or a tenant gets it all back. If you are already in a stoush over cleaning, scuffs, a cracked benchtop or a withheld bond, Claim Done can draft the end-of-lease bond dispute letter or the tribunal application you need from your answers, for a flat fee. Get the report right and you are not arguing from memory. Get it wrong, or skip it, and you are.

Why the condition report beats memory and good intentions

In New South Wales, the state’s own guidance calls the condition report “evidence of how a rental property was before a tenant moved in”, filled in at the start and again at the end of a tenancy, and used at the end to work out what counts as fair wear and tear. That is the whole point of it. Both sides sign up to an agreed picture of the property on day one, so that on the last day nobody has to rely on what they think they remember.

Here is the part people miss. The report does not protect the landlord or the tenant as a matter of principle. It protects whoever actually filled it in and photographed the place. If the entry report is blank, unsigned or lost, a tenant cannot prove a mark was already there and a landlord cannot prove it was not. The burden sits with whoever is claiming, and the party holding the baseline wins the point almost every time. One document is the tenant’s shield and the landlord’s sword at the same time.

Moving in: the entry report is yours to get right

In Victoria, the rental provider or their agent prepares the condition report, signs it, and must give the renter two copies (or one copy if it is sent electronically) before they move in, using the official Consumer Affairs Victoria condition report template. The renter then checks it against the property, changes anything that is not accurate, adds their own comments, signs it, returns one copy and keeps one. Victorian renters have five business days after moving in to return it, and weekends and public holidays do not count. If no report turns up, the renter can complete their own and return it inside the same five business days.

Queensland runs the same idea through named forms. The entry condition report, Form 1a, records the condition at the start and, in the Residential Tenancies Authority’s own words, “will help support the property manager/owner’s claim for compensation if the property has been damaged beyond normal fair wear and tear”. Note who that sentence is written to help, and fill in your side of the form accordingly.

Whatever state you rent in, the mechanics are the same and the mistakes are the same. Do not tick “good” down the page to save ten minutes. Write what is actually there: the chip in the bath, the stain on the carpet, the window that will not lock, the oven racks that are already missing. Take dated, labelled photos of anything pre-existing and attach them to the report, because a note that says “mark on wall” is weaker than a note plus a photo. Keep your copy somewhere you will still find it in twelve months. The return period and rules differ by state, so check your own tenancy authority’s page for the exact deadline.

Fair wear and tear versus damage: the line the report draws

A tenant is not responsible for fair wear and tear. Carpet that has thinned along a hallway, paint that has faded, a hinge that has loosened with use: that is the property ageing through normal living, and a landlord cannot charge for it. New damage that is not normal wear and tear is a different thing, and so is anything caused by neglect.

The condition report is how anyone tells the two apart. A worn patch that was photographed on day one is not new damage, no matter how bad it looks on the way out. A hole in a door that appears only in the exit photos is. Without the entry report, that distinction collapses into one person’s word against another’s, and the tribunal is left guessing.

Moving out: the exit report is the comparison

The exit report is not a fresh start. It is a side-by-side comparison with the entry report. In Queensland the exit condition report, Form 14a, is expressly “compared to the entry condition report to determine if the property is in the same condition as when the tenancy started”, allowing for fair wear and tear, and the RTA strongly advises both the tenant and the owner or manager to record meter readings in both reports and, ideally, to complete the exit report together.

Victoria puts a clock on it. When the agreement ends, the rental provider or agent must complete the exit condition report section of the original report within 10 days, and the renter must be present or have been given a reasonable opportunity to be there. If you have moved interstate or cannot get back, ask in writing to be sent the exit report and the photos, so you can still see what is being claimed before the bond is touched.

The bond claim: evidence that cannot contradict the report

This is where the report does its real work. Victoria is blunt about it: if a rental provider wants to claim on the bond, they must give the renter evidence to support the claim at least three business days before making it, such as an invoice, a receipt, quotes or photographs, and that evidence “must not contradict the condition report”. A quote to repaint a wall the entry report already described as marked goes nowhere. A plumber’s invoice for a tap the entry report listed as leaking goes nowhere.

If there is a dispute, the renter or the rental provider can apply to the state tribunal, which in Victoria is VCAT, and that application is free when the claim is for less than the bond that was paid. Every state and territory has its own bond authority and its own tribunal, with their own forms and time limits, so check the current process and any deadline on that body’s website rather than assuming the Victorian or Queensland rule applies to you.

When the report is blank, unsigned or missing

Plenty of tenancies run on a report nobody really filled in. That is not a neutral outcome, it is a decision in advance about who loses the argument. A landlord claiming for damage still has to prove the damage is new, and a blank entry report gives them nothing to prove it with. A tenant disputing a deduction still has to show the mark was already there, and a blank report gives them nothing either. Silence helps whoever is defending and hurts whoever is claiming.

If the report you were given is wrong or incomplete, do not just let it sit. In Victoria either party who thinks the report is wrong can apply to VCAT to decide, and they must do it within 30 days of the start of the rental agreement, so a problem is worth raising at the beginning, not saved up for the end.

Where Claim Done fits

When the report has done its job and the other side still will not budge, the next step is a document that puts the claim in writing and names the amount, the evidence and a deadline. If you are a tenant facing deductions you believe are unfair, the end-of-lease bond dispute letter sets out what you say the report shows and what you want returned. If you are a landlord or owner whose loss is larger than the bond, a letter of demand at a flat A$49 is the written claim that usually comes before any application, and a Tribunal Application at A$97 is the document you lodge yourself if the demand is ignored.

Claim Done drafts each one from your answers and the facts in your condition report, and you review and approve it before it goes anywhere. There is no subscription and no retainer. See the full list on the pricing page and match the document to your situation. Claim Done is not a law firm; it generates ready-to-send documents from the information you provide.

If a bond or damage dispute is in front of you now, start your document at claimdone.com.au/begin. Answer the questions about your tenancy, the condition report and what you are claiming or defending, and you will have a clear, evidence-based letter or application ready to review in minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to sign the condition report?

You are not forced to, but signing a report you have checked and corrected is what makes it useful to you later. Go through it room by room against the property, change anything that is wrong, add your own notes and photos, then sign and keep a copy. An unsigned or blank report helps whoever is making a claim against you.

What if I was never given a condition report?

In Victoria you can complete your own report and return it to the rental provider or agent within five business days of moving in. Photograph everything, date and label the images, and keep your copy. Other states have similar steps, so check your tenancy authority's page for the deadline that applies to you.

Can the landlord keep my bond for cleaning or damage?

Only for new damage or cleaning that is not fair wear and tear, and they generally need evidence that does not contradict the condition report. In Victoria a rental provider must give you supporting evidence, such as quotes, invoices or photos, at least three business days before claiming on the bond. If the claim contradicts what the report recorded on day one, it is weak.

Is fair wear and tear my responsibility as a tenant?

No. Fair wear and tear is the normal ageing of a property through ordinary use, such as faded paint or carpet worn along a path, and a tenant is not responsible for it. New damage, or damage caused by neglect, is different. The condition report is how the tribunal tells the two apart.

The condition report I got is wrong. Can I still dispute a bond claim?

Yes, and you should flag the problem early. In Victoria either party can apply to VCAT to decide a disputed report within 30 days of the start of the agreement. Even later, your own dated photos and written notes can carry weight if the report itself is incomplete or inaccurate.