Landlords : Ending A Tenancy

• ENDING A TENANCY

  This section contains information about things you need to know at the end of a tenancy:

• RETRIEVING GOODS LEFT BEHIND

  A guide for former tenants

  If you move out or are evicted from your rental property and you leave behind some of your goods or personal documents the law sets out how the landlord or agent can deal with them and how you can get them back.

  You should contact the landlord or agent as soon as you can. That way, there is less risk that your goods or personal documents will be damaged, removed or disposed of. The sooner you collect the items the less you may have to pay to cover storage costs.

  Rubbish and perishable items

  If you leave any rubbish or perishable items on the property, the landlord or agent may dispose of them immediately. For example, a broken chair and a pile of old newspapers or perishable food left in a cupboard and dying pot plants in the yard. They do not have to notify you or get your consent to dispose of such items.

  Notice required

  If you have left items other than rubbish behind (goods of value) the landlord or agent must attempt to notify you. They need to try to contact you and let you know that they have your goods and will dispose of them after a certain time if you do not collect them. The landlord or agent can do this in writing (to your forwarding address if they have it, or to the rental property in case you have arranged for your mail to be redirected), in person or over the telephone. If after 2 days the landlord or agent has not been able to contact you, they are able to leave a notice on the premises (e.g. stuck to the front door).

  Goods of value

  Goods of value could include such things as furniture, electrical items and clothing. If you have left these goods behind, the landlord or agent needs to store them in a safe place. This could be on the premises or somewhere else. They are only required to keep these goods for 14 days from the day they notify you to come and collect them.

  Personal documents

  Different rules are in place when dealing with your personal documents. Personal documents are defined under the Act as being:

  • a birth certificate, passport or other identity document
  • bank books or other financial statements or documents
  • photographs and other personal memorabilia (e.g. medals and trophies)
  • licences or other documents conferring authorities, rights or qualifications.

  The landlord or agent should keep personal documents left behind in a safe place for at least 90 days from the day they give you notice.

  Reclaiming your goods and documents

  You, or anybody else with a legal interest in the goods (e.g. your ex-housemate or a goods hire company) can reclaim the goods at any time they remain in the landlord or agent’s possession. A suitable time and day for collection needs to be agreed upon. The landlord or agent cannot refuse to return your belongings, even if you owe rent or money for some other reason.

  You may have to pay an occupation fee to cover storage expenses if sufficient goods were left behind to prevent the landlord or agent renting the premises to somebody else. An occupation fee equal to a day's rent can be charged for each day the goods are held, whether they are stored on the premises or elsewhere. However, only a maximum of 14 days occupation fee can be charged even if the goods are held for longer.

  Disposal of unclaimed items

  If you fail to reclaim your goods of value within the 14 days, the landlord or agent may dispose of them in any of the following ways:

  • donating the goods to charity (e.g. leaving clothes in a clothing bin or arranging for furniture etc to be collected)
  • disposing of the goods in a lawful manner (e.g. taking them to the tip or organising a council collection)
  • keeping the goods in the property if they are useful fixtures and fittings (e.g. curtains)
  • selling the goods for fair value and giving the proceeds to you (less the occupation fee and reasonable costs of the sale).

  Unclaimed personal documents can be disposed of after the 90 days in an appropriate manner, such as by being returned to the issuing authority (wherever possible), or shredded.

  Resolving disputes

  If the law is correctly followed there is no action you can take against the landlord if your goods or personal documents have been donated, disposed of or sold. However, if the law is not followed you may seek compensation from the landlord or agent through the Tribunal for any losses.

  If the landlord or agent refuses to return goods or personal documents, you can apply to the Tribunal for an order that the items be returned to you.

  If your goods have been sold and the proceeds of the sale have not been passed on to you an application can be made to the Tribunal.

  At a glance

  
  

  Old laws	New laws
  Disposal of perishable items – after 2 working days	Immediate disposal
  Notice requirement in statewide newspaper	No longer required
  Storage period (ordinary goods) – 30 days	Down to 14 days minimum
  No dispute resolution	Any party can apply for Tribunal orders

   

  
  

• BREAKING A LEASE EARLY

  A guide for tenants of rented properties

  When you sign a fixed term tenancy agreement (lease) you are committing to stay for the full term. If your circumstances change and you want to move out before the end of the fixed term there are potential costs involved.

  Costs you may have to pay

  Breaking your tenancy agreement during the fixed term can be costly. You may have to pay:

  • rent until a new tenant takes over or the fixed term period ends, whichever occurs first, and
  • a percentage of the advertising costs and the agent's re-letting fee (if the landlord uses an agent). For example, if you break the lease 9 months into a 12 month tenancy there is about 25% of the lease remaining, so you would expect to pay 25% of these amounts.

  If you need to end your agreement early you should give as much notice as you can. The landlord or agent must take all reasonable steps to find a replacement tenant as soon as possible. The more you can do to help, the less you may have to pay. You should make it as easy as possible for the landlord or agent to show the premises to potential new tenants.

  If you are concerned that it is taking a long time to find a new tenant, you can check that the landlord or agent is trying to relet the property. Check the agent’s website and their list of available rental properties. The landlord and agent must try to keep your costs to a minimum. For example, if they do anything to make it harder to find a new tenant (such as asking for a higher rent or unreasonably rejecting potential tenants) you may not have to pay the full amount they are asking.

  Once the new tenant is found the landlord or agent will request payment for the amount you owe. If you don’t pay or if you disagree with the amount, the landlord or agent will usually claim from your bond or apply to the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal. Be aware that if you owe more money than the bond your name could be listed on a tenancy database. Such listings can make it difficult to rent again anywhere in Australia.

  Optional break fee

  If you sign a tenancy agreement on or after 31 January 2011, you and the landlord can agree to include a break fee clause in the additional terms. The break fee is a penalty you agree to pay if you move out before the end of the fixed term.

  If the fixed term of the agreement is for 3 years or less the break fee is:

  • 6 weeks rent if you move out in the first half of the fixed term
  • 4 weeks rent if you move out in the second half of the fixed term.

  If the fixed term is for more than 3 years and you and the landlord agree to include a break fee clause, you can agree on the amount and write it into the agreement.

  Where there is a break fee in your agreement that is all that you have to pay if you move out early. However, if the landlord or agent find another tenant quickly it does not mean that you will get any of the break fee back. It is a fixed fee.

  Breach by the landlord

  If your landlord is not complying with the terms of your tenancy agreement  you may be able to end your lease early without penalty, for example, if the landlord is failing to keep the premises in reasonable repair. If you think the breach is serious enough to justify ending the tenancy, you can give 14 days written termination notice to the landlord. If they disagree they can apply to the Tribunal.

  Alternatively, you can apply to the Tribunal without giving notice. You will need to take evidence to satisfy the Tribunal that the breach justifies ending the agreement. The Tribunal can refuse to make an order if the landlord remedies the breach. If you had already moved out, you may have to pay the costs of breaking the lease.

  Breaking the agreement without penalty

  In limited circumstances you can break the agreement early without penalty. You can give 14 days written notice to end an agreement early if:

  • you have accepted an offer of social housing (e.g. from Housing NSW)
  • you need to move into an aged care facility or nursing home (not a retirement village)
  • you have obtained a final apprehended violence order against somebody you were living with that excludes them from the property
  • the landlord has put the premises on the market for sale, and you were not told before signing the lease that a contract for sale had been drawn up.

  You can give 21 days written notice to end an agreement early if:

  • you have a fixed term agreement of more than 2 years and you have been given a rent increase notice or
  • your co-tenant passes away.

  If you give notice for any of these reasons you are able to end the agreement early without having to pay any compensation or other costs to the landlord. You are only liable for the rent until your notice ends and you hand back possession of the premises.

  Mutual consent

  Any tenancy agreement can be ended at any time if the landlord and tenant mutually agree.

  Hardship

  If it would cause you undue hardship to stay in the premises until the end of the fixed term you can apply to the Tribunal to end the agreement early. You can ask for an urgent hearing but will need to keep paying the rent.

  You will need to satisfy the Tribunal that special circumstances exist which were not in place when you first moved in and that your hardship is severe or serious. If the Tribunal agrees that your tenancy can end early it may order you to compensate the landlord for lost rent and other losses. 

  At a glance

  
  

  Old laws	New laws
  Tenant breaking lease early treated as abandonment and liable to compensate landlord fully for any loss	Optional break fee can be included in tenancy agreement, limiting the costs a tenant can be charged for breaking a lease early
  Tenant could seek order from Tribunal to end lease early on undue hardship grounds	Undue hardship grounds retained and tenants can also end lease early in certain circumstances including moving to a nursing home or accepting a social housing offer

   

  
  

• GETTING YOUR BOND BACK

  At the end of a tenancy

  If you do not owe the landlord or agent money at the end of your tenancy, the bond that you paid at the beginning of your tenancy should be refunded to you in full. However, if the landlord or agent believes you owe them money, they are able to make a claim against your bond.

  Refund by agreement

  Before you leave and hand back the keys you should contact the agent or landlord to arrange a mutually agreeable time to do the final inspection. This is where you both go over the property to see if there is any damage or anything which needs cleaning. If they raise something that is minor you may be able to deal with it on the spot. The official condition report needs to be completed at this inspection.

  If you agree with the agent or landlord on how the bond is to be paid out ask them to fill out and sign a Claim for Refund of Bond Money form and give it to you so you can lodge it with Fair Trading. This way, the bond can be paid out straight away.

  Never sign a blank Claim for Refund of Bond Money form. Always make sure the bond refund amounts are filled in before you sign the form.

  If you disagree

  If you cannot agree with the agent or landlord about how the bond should be paid out, or if you feel that they are taking too long, you can lodge a Claim for Refund of Bond Money form yourself without their signature on it. This will start the ball rolling but the bond will not be released immediately. Fair Trading will post a notice to the agent or landlord giving them 14 days in which to contest your claim by applying to the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal. If they do not apply within the 14 days, the bond will then be paid out as per your claim. If they apply to the Tribunal the bond will be held by Fair Trading until the dispute is settled. The landlord or agent will need to attend a hearing at the Tribunal and present evidence to back up their claim. You will receive a notice from the Tribunal if they apply. You should also attend the hearing and bring evidence to support your claim.

  Challenging a landlord’s claim

  If the landlord or agent lodges a claim first, without your signature, Fair Trading will send you notice giving you 14 days in which to contest the claim. You can contact the agent or landlord and try to get them to change their mind and lodge a new claim form signed by both of you. If that is unsuccessful your only option is to apply to the Tribunal within the 14 days, otherwise the bond will be paid out as per the landlord’s claim. Make sure to notify Fair Trading that you have applied, by calling 13 32 20 or by one of the methods set out in the notice of claim.

  Within 7 days of lodging the claim they must send you copies of the final inspection report, along with any estimates, quotes, invoices or receipts relating to the claim. If they fail to do this you should raise it at the Tribunal hearing. You should also tell the Tribunal if you were not given a reasonable opportunity to be present at the final inspection, and if you disagree with what was written in the final condition report. You should also show any evidence you have to support your position.

  Claim by your landlord

  The main reasons a claim may be lodged against your bond are:

  • if you still owe any rent or have unpaid water usage bills
  • if you broke the lease early and haven’t paid the break fee or other compensation payable
  • if you didn’t hand all the copies of the keys you were given and the locks needed to be changed
  • if you caused some sort of damage or didn’t leave the premises in a reasonably clean condition, apart from normal fair wear and tear

  This is not an exhaustive list. There may be other legitimate reasons for the landlord or agent to make a claim against your bond, such as the cost of disposing of goods you have left behind.

  Fair wear and tear

  As explained above, you are not responsible for fair wear and tear to the premises. Fair wear and tear means the deterioration that occurs over time with the use of the premises even though the premises receive reasonable care and maintenance. Such deterioration could be caused by exposure, time or just by ordinary use. You are only liable for negligent, irresponsible or intentional actions that cause damage to the premises. These examples may help to explain the difference.

  Fair wear and tear – you are not liable	Damage – you are liable
  Faded curtains or frayed cords	Missing curtains or torn by the tenant’s cat
  Furniture indentations and traffic marks on the carpet	Stains or burn marks on the carpet
  Scuffed up wooden floors	Badly scratched or gouged wooden floors
  Faded, chipped or cracked paint	Unapproved paint job
  Worn kitchen bench top	Burns or cuts in bench top
  Loose hinges or handles on doors or windows and worn sliding tracks	Broken glass from one of your children hitting a ball through the window
  Cracks in the walls from movement	Holes in walls left by tenant removing picture hooks or shelves they had installed
  Water stain on carpet from rain through leaking roof or bad plumbing	Water stain on carpet caused by overflowing bath or indoor pot plants

  Interest payable

  A small amount of interest will be paid to you when you get your bond back. The majority of the income earned from the collective pool of rental bonds is used to fund a range of services that benefit all tenants, such as funding the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal and organisations across New South Wales under the Tenants Advice and Advocacy Program.

  At a glance

  
  

  Old laws	New laws
  No requirement to supply evidence to tenant supporting bond claims	New obligation to supply final condition report and copies of receipts, quotes etc
  No guidance on what matters can be subject to a claim	New Act contains non– exhaustive list of matters which can be subject to a bond claim
  No time limit for bond disputes	New time limit of 6 months from when bond paid to apply to Tribunal

   

  
  

© State of New South Wales through the Office of Fair Trading
This information applies to tenancies in NSW. Please consult your state authorities for other states