Ending a Tenancy
Feeling the stress from moving out from your rental house? We’ve got you covered!
Thinking of moving out?
At the end of a tenancy agreement, you can choose to end the lease, or it can continue as either a fixed term or periodic agreement. There are a couple steps you need to take to finish up your tenancy.
Notice of Intention to Leave
A Notice of Intention to Leave (Form 13) will be provided by the property manager when you express your intention to end the tenancy. The Notice of Intention to Leave (Form 13) can also be found on the RTA website (https://www.rta.qld.gov.au/forms-resources/forms/forms-for-general-tenancies/notice-of-intention-to-leave-form-13). A minimum of two week’s notice is required prior to handing back the property.
Breaking the Lease
If you wish to move out before the end of tenancy date listed on the lease agreement, a Notice of Intention to Leave (Form 13) will need to be submitted to the property manager. From there, the property manager will begin the process of finding a new tenant to take over the lease. Photographs for advertising purposes may need to be taken and open homes may be conducted during this period. Whilst the property manager will try to find new tenants to move in as soon as possible, it is still the tenant’s legal responsibility to pay rent until new tenants have secured the property. On top of that, the tenants will be responsible for a once off letting fee of one week’s rent, which is normally paid by the landlord when new tenancy begins.
Please keep in mind that the date provided by the tenant on the Notice of Intention to Leave form will be the day the property is advertised to be available from, and not the last day for your rent payment. It is also the day the keys are to be returned to the property manager so the end of lease procedures such as Exit checks, repairs and restorations can be performed.
Exit Condition Report
When vacating the property, a completed Exit Condition Report is required to be handed in with the keys. Complete the Exit Condition Report by recording the current condition of the property and the Entry Condition Report will be used to ensure that the property is in a close condition from when the tenancy started. The tenant will be responsible for any damages done to the property, excluding general wear and tear.
The Exit Condition Report can be found on the RTA website (https://www.rta.qld.gov.au/ending-a-tenancy/vacating-a-property/exit-condition-report), or provided by the property manager upon request.
Final Water Bill
A final water meter reading will be taken within 3 days from the return of the key. The owing amount will be calculated and invoiced by email and the final water bill will need to be paid before the Bond Refund is lodged.
Return of Bond
Once all payments including rent, bills and restoration charges (if any) have been cleared, we will lodge the Bond Return to the RTA within 3 business days. Once the Bond Return has been submitted, a Bond Refund Fast Track request will be sent via email. The bond can be refunded within hours if all parties agree to the bond allocation within a 48 hour timeframe. For any questions regarding outstanding payments, please contact the property manager, otherwise contact the RTA directly for any issues with the progress of bond return.
*Chapter One Property is a QLD based business therefore Regulations mentioned above may not be applicable to other states and territories. Please refer to you local authorities to find the relevant information for your location.