Help to pay your rental bond

Housing ACT can pay up to 100% of the bond money you need to pay a private landlord. You can pay us back in small amounts over a period of up to 2 years. You don’t have to pay us any interest.

You can apply before you’ve found a home to rent.

You can’t apply after you’ve paid your bond.

Check if you can get rental bond help

To get rental bond help you must:

• be 16 or older
• earn less than the income threshold
• have less than $10,000 in cash or savings, or $15,000 for joint applicants
• be planning to rent in the ACT
• be intending to live in the rental property.

Income thresholds

We use your personal income to decide whether you can get rental bond help.

We review the threshold amount every 6 months. We last updated the income threshold on 4 July 2024.

If you have no children

To get rental bond help you need to earn:

• less than $115,369.80 per year ($2,218.65 per week) as a single applicant
• less than $153,826.40 per year ($2,958.20 per week) for joint applicants.

If you have dependent children

You can add $10,400 per year ($200 per week) to your income for each dependent child you have in your household and still get rental bond help.

How to apply

You can apply online or at a Housing ACT service centre.

Applying online

You’ll need to create an ACT Digital Account if you don't have one. You can then fill in the online form and upload documents online.

Apply online for rental bond help

Applying in person

To apply in person you'll need to:

• download and fill in the Application for rental bond help [PDF 719.2 kB]
• bring the form and your documents to a Housing ACT service centre.

Filling in the form

• Couples – tick the ‘joint application’ box in the form.
• Share house – don’t tick the ‘joint application’ box in the form. Each person should apply separately for their share of the bond.
• Living alone – don’t tick the ‘joint application’ box in the form.

Documents you will need

You will be asked for documents that prove your identity and your income.

We may also ask for evidence of any assets you have.

The kinds of documents we might ask for include:

• pay slips
• information about Centrelink payments
• bank statements.

The application form has more information about the documents you will need.

If we approve your application

We will confirm you can get rental bond help. Then Housing ACT will enter into a rental bond agreement with you.

Under the agreement, we will pay your rental bond on your behalf.  You will agree how you will pay us back, including:

• how much you will pay per instalment
• how often you will pay (weekly, fortnightly, or monthly)
• how long you will take to pay us back (up to 2 years).

You can arrange to pay through a direct debit from your bank account. Download the Rental bond help direct debit form [407 kB].

You sign the agreement online with Housing ACT.

We pay your bond to the ACT Revenue Office within 5 to 7 business days.

You show a copy of your agreement to your realtor and sign your lease agreement.

If you haven’t found a house yet

You have 6 months to find a home to rent.

If it takes longer than that, we will ask you to give us updated information. We will then reassess your application.

At the end of your tenancy

If you have repaid all the money you owe us, you will get all your bond back from the Rental Bond Office. This will happen after you and your landlord have resolved any claims made.

If you still owe us any money, the Rental Bond Office will pay us that amount first. Then they will pay any remaining money to you into your bank account.

Landlord claims on the bond

Like any bond, your landlord will have the right to claim money from your bond when your tenancy ends. This is to help them cover things like property damage or unpaid rent.

These issues are between you and your landlord. We don’t get involved in these claims.

If you don’t agree with your landlord, you can get advice from Legal Aid's Tenancy Advice Service ACT.

Contact us