A Bond Loan is an interest-free and fee-free loan to cover the rental bond when you move into private rental accommodation.
The loan amount is up to a maximum of 4 weeks rent and must be repaid.
Bond loans are available to eligible people only. Check your eligibility.
Bond loans are automatically approved for people experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence who have provided information about their circumstances.
Bond Loan Plus is an interest-free and fee-free loan to cover the rental bond plus an amount equal to 2 weeks rent for the property you want to rent.
The loan amount is up to a maximum of 6 weeks rent and must be repaid.
To find out more, talk to your local Housing Service Centre.
A Rental Grant is a one-off grant of 2 weeks rent to support people in housing crisis move into private rental accommodation.
Rental Grants are available to eligible people only. Check your eligibility.
For more information on applying for a Bond Loan:
Check if you’re eligible for rental assistance from Centrelink.
Read the Bond Loan video transcript (DOCX, 18KB).
To be eligible for a Bond Loan, you must meet all of these conditions:
Bond Loans are automatically approved for people experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence, who have provided information about their circumstances.
To be eligible for a Rental Grant, you must both:
Additionally, you must meet at least 1 of these conditions:
Applicants under the age of 18 should phone Housing Services on 13 QGOV (13 74 68).
To be eligible, the combined gross (before-tax) income of all applicants can’t be more than the limits shown below.
Combined gross income includes:
Combined gross income doesn't include:
For people experiencing domestic, family or sexual violence, bond loans are automatically approved for customers who have provided information about their circumstances.
Higher income limits may apply in specific resource (mining) communities.
Applicants under the age of 18 should phone Housing Services on 13 QGOV (13 74 68) for more information.
See the table below for income limits. Note that ‘Weekly income (before tax)’ refers to how much you can earn in a week and still be eligible for a Bond Loan.
Household type | Private rental limits March 2024 |
---|---|
1 adult | $1,325 |
2 adults | $1,987 |
3 adults | $2,649 |
4 adults | $3,312 |
1 adult with 1 dependant | $1,722 |
1 adult with 2 dependants | $2,119 |
1 adult with 3 dependants | $2,517 |
1 adult with 4 dependants | $2,914 |
2 adults with 1 dependant | $2,384 |
2 adults with 2 dependants | $2,782 |
2 adults with 3 dependants | $3,179 |
2 adults with 4 dependants | $3,576 |
Use the information below to calculate income eligibility for household types not identified in the table:
The total household income limit is then rounded to the nearest dollar.
Income eligibility limits are assessed on the total income for a household, not individuals within the household.
If you don’t meet the eligibility criteria on this page, contact us to discuss your circumstances:
You can apply online for:
Alternatively, download and complete a hard copy Application for Bond Loan and Rental Grant assistance .
Also complete a Bond Loan additional applicants form if you have 3 or more applicants. Submit this with your application.
With the application, each applicant needs to provide:
By registering your details, you can save your online application at any time and return to it within 28 days if you need more time.
Before you can save your application, you need to enter each tenant’s first name, last name, date of birth and phone number, so we can contact you about your saved application if necessary.
If you’re considering renting in the near future but haven’t found a property to rent, you can check your eligibility using the Eligibility Tool.
This will give you an indication of your eligibility for Bond Loan and/or Rental Grant assistance.
Bond loans are automatically approved for people experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence who have provided information about their circumstances.
It is important to provide us with the correct information, so your eligibility assessment is accurate.
After you’ve been approved to rent a property, you can submit a Bond Loan and/or Rental Grant Application along with your supporting documents.
If your application is successful, we will send you the loan document to sign and return to us. After we receive this, we approve your Bond Loan and send an approval letter and Bond Lodgement form to your landlord/agent.
To apply for Bond Loan Plus, you must provide:
Please talk to your local Housing Service Centre about Bond Loan Plus.
If you have any queries about applying for a Bond Loan product:
If you’ve submitted an online application for a Bond Loan or Rental Grant, you can check the status of your online application using your online application reference number (which starts with BLW) and your date of birth.
If you have any questions about your application, call us on 1300 650 282 or email bondloan@chde.qld.gov.au.
If your Bond Loan is approved, we will send you:
Usually, we send the bond lodgement form (Form 2C) directly to your landlord/agent to sign and lodge the form with the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) as soon as possible.
When you move into your home, your landlord/agent must lodge a bond lodgement form (Form 2C for general tenancies) with the RTA to confirm your tenancy has started.
After the RTA processes the form, we transfer funds for your bond loan to the RTA during the term of your tenancy.
If your Bond Loan Plus application is approved, your landlord/agent must lodge a bond lodgement form with the RTA.
When the RTA receives this form, we:
If your Rental Grant is approved, we will send you:
After they return the confirmation of tenancy form to us, we pay the rental grant directly to your landlord/agent by EFT/bank transfer.
Sometimes we make the payment by cheque. In this case, we make out the cheque to your landlord/agent and send it directly to them.
For more information about Bond Loans and Rental Grants:
You must repay your Bond Loan or Bond Loan Plus within the loan term you were approved for.
However, you can pay back your Bond Loan or Bond Loan Plus earlier if you wish.
You can repay your loan using these methods:
EasyPay is free to use and ensures your Bond Loan repayment is paid on time, even if you’re on holidays or ill.
Bond Loan repayments can be deducted from Centrelink payments and paid directly to us each fortnight.
If you receive a Centrelink income support payment, using EasyPay for Bond Loan repayments is a condition of your approval.
You need to complete and sign the EasyPay deduction authority for Bond Loan payments form (PDF, 761KB) when applying for a Bond Loan. All applicants must decide how much each applicant will pay. However, the total amount deducted must meet the required monthly Bond Loan repayment.
You can pay more than your monthly repayment by stating the amount you wish to pay each fortnight on the ‘EasyPay deduction authority for Bond Loan payments’ form.
BPay is a fast, easy and convenient way to pay your Bond Loan by phone or internet banking.
You can use BPay if you’re a registered phone banker or internet banker with a participating financial institution. The BPay biller code and your payment reference number are printed on your payment slip.
You can only use debit cards when repaying your loan with BPay.
Your financial institution may charge you a fee for using BPay.
You can repay your Bond Loan using the department’s electronic barcode. This is available via the free Housing Assist Qld app or online.
If you use other payment methods, such as EasyPay, you can still use the repayment barcode to make additional payments.
You can download the free Housing Assist Qld App from your App store on Apple, Windows and Android devices.
You can find your repayment barcode and BPay reference number online.
You can arrange for your bank, credit union or building society to transfer Bond Loan repayments from your account to us. The repayments can only be taken from one account.
You can also pay Bond Loan arrears and other debts using this method.
Your financial institution may charge you a fee for transferring each Bond Loan repayment.
Contact your financial institution to arrange repayment by this method.
You can repay your Bond Loan by sending a cheque or money order to us with your name and Bond Loan account number.
Make out the cheque or money order to the Department of Housing and mail it to:
Department of Housing
Queensland Shared Services
Accounts Receivable
GPO Box 173
Brisbane Qld 4001
If you’re having trouble making repayments, contact the Bond Loan Arrears Team on 1800 501 702 as soon as possible.
Each person listed on the Bond Loan agreement is responsible for ensuring the full Bond Loan amount is repaid.
You can check the balance of your outstanding Bond Loan or Bond Loan Plus with our Bond Loan balance tool.
You’ll need to provide your Bond Loan or Bond Loan Plus number and date of birth.
When you move out of your rental home, your rental bond may be refunded if you lodge a Refund of rental bond form (Form 4) with the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA).
Your landlord/agent may make a claim against the rental bond for any unpaid rent, cleaning or property damage.
The RTA can help you if you want to dispute any claim by your landlord/agent.
If you still owe money on a Bond Loan or Bond Loan Plus when you move out, we use any bond refund amount that your landlord/agent isn’t claiming to repay this debt.
If you still have a debt after this process, you need to contact the Bond Loan Arrears team on 1800 501 702 to arrange to pay the amount.
If your loan is fully repaid at the end of your tenancy and your landlord/agent doesn’t make a claim, you will receive the full bond amount.
Download forms from the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA).
You can check your outstanding balance with our online tool. You’ll need to provide your Bond Loan number and date of birth.
You can transfer a bond to another property if:
We can’t provide a ‘top up’ Bond Loan or Bond Loan Plus if your new bond is more than your current bond.
To transfer your bond, lodge a Change of rental property (Form 3) with the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA).
Each person listed on the Bond Loan agreement is responsible for ensuring the full Bond Loan amount is repaid.
If you want to leave a shared tenancy, you’ll still be responsible for the Bond Loan unless you ask to be removed from the loan agreement.
Everyone on the Bond Loan has to agree to this, as remaining tenants must accept responsibility for the balance of the debt.
To remove your name from a shared tenancy Bond Loan:
We will advise the RTA of the change to the Bond Loan when the ‘Change of bond contributors’ form is completed.
If you lodge this form without first contacting us, the RTA won’t process the change.
The Department of Housing is not responsible for processing refunds.
To claim a bond refund, lodge a Refund of rental bond (Form 4) with the RTA at the end of your tenancy.
It is your responsibility to:
We don’t enter into any disputes between the agent/landlord and tenants. If you have queries about a dispute, contact the Residential Tenancies Authority.
For more information on Bond Loans:
Guide to Bond Loans and Rental Grants, 02 Jan 2024, [https://oss-uat.clients.squiz.net/housing/renting/rent-assistance/financial/bond-loan/bond-loan-rental-grant-guide]
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