The Department of Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works (the Department) provides rental bond loans and rental grants to eligible tenants.
A bond loan is an interest-free and fee-free loan (maximum of 4 weeks rent) for eligible people who cannot afford to pay a full rental bond. It must be repaid. Check your eligibility.
Existing bond loan balances can be checked online. You will need to provide your bond loan number and date of birth.
A bridging bond loan is an interest-free and fee-free loan to help you cover the upfront cost of a new bond, pending release of your current bond held by the RTA. The loan amount is up to a maximum of 4 weeks rent and must be repaid. Check your eligibility.
A bond loan plus is an interest-free and fee-free loan for the rental bond plus an amount equal to 2 weeks rent up to a maximum of 6 weeks rent for the rental home. The rental bond of up to 4 weeks rent is paid to the Residential Tenancies Authority. The 2 weeks rent is paid directly to the lessor/agent after the tenancy starts. This loan must be repaid. Check your eligibility.
A rental grant is a one-off grant of 2 weeks rent to help meet some of the costs of moving into a rental home. This grant helps people experiencing a housing crisis and does not have to be repaid. It is paid directly to your property manager/owner after the tenancy starts. Check your eligibility.
How to apply
After you confirm your eligibility and you receive approval to rent a property, you can apply for a bond loan and/or rental grant by submitting your application and your supporting documents to the Department.
Refer to the Department’s guide to understand the next steps after applying, such as checking your online application status, and what to do once you've been approved for a bond loan or rental grant.
Other rental assistance
Check if you’re eligible for rental assistance from Centrelink.
RentConnect
RentConnect provides practical assistance and information on how to find, apply and sustain a home in the private rental market. The service also helps people fill out a rental application and links them to local real estate agents and community services.
Bond refunds
The RTA is required to refund bonds directly to the Department for any outstanding bond loan amount owed, with any remaining amount refunded to the contributor.
Commercial bond loans
In cases where a tenant has a commercial bond loan, the bond will be refunded to the tenant. Any outstanding debt owed by the tenant to the commercial bond provider is a matter for the parties.
Transferring a bond loan
Change of property
A bond can be transferred from one premises/room to another as long as all parties to the tenancy and the bond amount remains the same (only the address is changing). If all parties do not agree to the transfer, a Change of rental property (Form 3) cannot be used, and they must go through the normal bond refund process.
An active bond loan will not impact a change of address request, provided the bond contributors are remaining the same against the bond record.
Tenants can contact the Department to learn more about transferring a bond that involves a bond loan from one property to another.
Change of housemates
If there is a change of tenants and bond arrangements, you must contact the Department to approve the removal of a tenant before submitting the change request to the RTA.
Contact the Department
Call Housing Service Centres on 13 QGOV (13 74 68), email HousingEnquiry@smartservice.qld.gov.au or visit www.housing.qld.gov.au.
For more information, visit the Department's existing bond loans webpage.