Melbourne rent bonds can be transferred between properties from 2026, removing the need to pay double.
Melbourne rent pressures will ease with portable rental bonds launching next year, allowing eligible renters to transfer existing bonds directly to new properties.
Victorian government’s new Portable Rental Bonds scheme passed parliament, removing the financial burden of paying a second bond before the first one is refunded.
Residential Tenancies Bond Authority currently holds more than 737,000 bonds across Victoria. This new scheme will ease the cost of moving by letting renters transfer their bond from one rental to the next through a simple online process.
Melbourne rent changes – portable bonds
- What: New scheme allowing renters to transfer bonds between properties
- When: Launching in 2026
- Where: Available to eligible Victorian renters statewide
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
It’s a win-win situation for renters and rental providers when it comes to Melbourne rent. The government will guarantee the existing bond amount for the original rental provider, with the guarantee staying in place until the original tenancy agreement is finalised and the standard bond claim process wraps up.
If a rental provider’s claim for a bond is successful, renters will owe the money to the government rather than the rental provider. They’ll need to pay it back either as a single payment or through stages via an agreed payment plan. It’s a system designed to take pressure off renters during the moving process.
Moving house is already expensive enough with removalists, connection fees and all the other costs that pile up. Removing the double-bond burden means renters can redirect that money toward other moving expenses or simply keep it in their bank accounts where it belongs.
Melbourne rent bond transfers will happen through a straightforward online process, making it easy for renters to access the scheme without jumping through hoops.
For more information, head here.
