When the tenancy ends, the tenant and landlord should inspect the property together. If the inspection shows everything’s in order, complete the bond refund form and send it to Tenancy Services for it to be processed.

You can choose to have the bond refunded to any nominated account, including:

1. to a nominated tenant’s bank account when ending a tenancy
2. to a new landlord’s bank account if you’re a tenant and starting a new tenancy with a new landlord
3. a portion to the old landlord to cover any damages (if any), and the remaining to a nominated tenant’s or new landlord’s bank account.

If there’s unpaid rent or other outstanding costs, the tenant and landlord may agree to split the bond. Part of the bond is refunded to the landlord to cover their costs and the rest is refunded to the nominated bank account.

The bond refund form should be completed to reflect the amount, refunds will be processed within 5 working days when a correctly and fully completed form is received. If you can’t agree on the refund amount, you will need to apply to the Tenancy Tribunal.

If there is a change of tenant during the tenancy, there are 2 forms that must be completed, find out what forms need to be completed on our Changing information on a bond record page.

Changing information on a bond record

Refunding a bond to tenants

Signatures

If your bond was lodged before 2 December 2024, the people who sign the bond refund form must be the same as the people who signed the bond lodgement form. If these signatures do not match there may be delays in refunding the bond.

If your bond was lodged on or after 2 December 2024, or your bond number starts with ‘BN’, send a copy of the signature page from the tenancy agreement with your bond refund form.

Download the refund form

Download the bond refund form below (you will need to complete this if there are more than 2 tenants)

Either the landlord or the tenant can send the form to Tenancy Services, once it’s filled out and signed by all tenants and the landlord.

Send the completed form to us by either:

• scanning and emailing to bonds@tenancy.govt.nz
  • if your email has been received, you'll get an automatic reply email from us. If you don't receive a response from us, please resend your email.
• posting to Tenancy Services, PO Box 50445, Porirua 5240

It takes up to 5 working days to refund a bond when a correctly and fully completed form is received.

If we need further information to process your request, we will contact you by phone, email or letter.

Refunds are made by direct credit to the bank account numbers you provide on the bond refund form. Refunds will only be made to a NZ bank account.

If the tenant or landlord can’t sign the form

If the tenant or landlord can’t or won’t sign the bond refund form, complete the form anyway and send it to us. We will try to contact the person who hasn’t signed to check they agree with the refund.

If the landlord or tenant doesn’t agree to the bond payment, we will let both parties know that there’s an issue. The bond will be refunded when we receive either:

• a new bond refund form signed and dated by the landlord and all tenants, after the dispute date
• a Mediator’s Order or an Order of the Tenancy Tribunal advising how the bond is to be refunded.

A landlord can only submit a form that the tenant hasn’t signed within 2 months of the tenancy ending. After that they will need to apply to the Tenancy Tribunal to claim part of the bond or they will need to get the tenant to sign a refund form. 

If the tenant and landlord can’t agree

If the tenant and the landlord can’t agree on the bond refund, either (or both) can apply to the Tenancy Tribunal to get it sorted.

If both the landlord and tenant(s) are willing, they can ask for a mediator to help them try to reach an agreement. If you don’t want to use a mediator, or mediation doesn’t work, you will have to attend a Tenancy Tribunal hearing.

Applying to the Tenancy Tribunal

If the tenant or landlord has passed away

If the tenant or landlord has passed away, their appointed executor must sign the bond refund form. If a will or probate does not exist, the claim must be made by a court appointed administrator. To release the bond we will need to see the following documents:

1. a copy of the death certificate(external link);
2. proof of the executor or administrator of the tenant's estate, such as a court order, a copy of the probate, or a letter from a lawyer or The Public Trust Office;
3. a bond refund form signed by all parties. The executor or administrator of the estate must sign on behalf of the deceased;
4. a signature ID from the executor or administrator of the estate.

A refund will also be made in accordance with any court order, such as a Tenancy Tribunal order.

If the bond isn’t claimed

If bond remains unclaimed for 6 years after the tenancy ends, the bond becomes the property of the Crown.