About Us

The RTBA is established by the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 to hold all Victorian residential tenancy bonds including those applying to residents of long term caravans and rooming houses.

Section 429 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 establishes the RTBA as a body corporate constituted by the Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria. The RTBA has no other members and employs no staff. The RTBA is reliant on the staff and resources of the Department of Justice and Community Safety, Consumer Affairs Victoria, and contracted services. The cost of these inputs is met by the RTBA.

The functions of the RTBA, as set out in section 431 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997, are as follows:

1. to collect and disburse bond money paid to the Authority under this Act;
2. to establish and administer-
   1. a Residential Bonds Account; and
   2. a Residential Bonds Investment Income Account;
3. to invest money held in those Accounts in accordance with this Act;
   1. to collect the information contained in bond lodgment forms given to the Authority and other information kept by the Authority in relation to bonds held by the Authority;
   2. to disclose the information (other than persons' names) referred to in paragraph (ca), to the Director of Housing for the purpose of the use of that information by the Director of Housing in research, compiling statistics and public education;
4. to carry out any other function conferred on it by the Residential Tenancies Act 1997.

Under section 432 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997, the RTBA has power to do anything that is necessary or convenient to be done for or in connection with the carrying out of its functions.

The Amendment Act of 2019 introduced new terminology i.e. Residential Rental Provider (RRP) and Renter replacing Landlord and Tenant respectively. The term Rental Provider rather than Residential Rental Provider may be used.

• renter means-
  1. the person to whom premises are let under a residential rental agreement; or
  2. the person to whom premises are to be let under a proposed residential rental agreement.

• residential rental provider means-
  1. the person by whom premises are let under a residential rental agreement; or
  2. the person by whom the premises are to be let under a proposed residential rental agreement.

The RTBA provides an electronic transaction facility to rental providers (licensed estate agents and private landlords) who register with the RTBA as an organisation managing one or more rental bonds. The RTBA calls these registered organisations “Property Managers”.

The RTBA provides renters (tenants) access to bond information.

The environment in which the RTBA operates is shown in the following diagram:

Further details of the RTBA are contained in the Annual Report of the RTBA which can be downloaded from Consumer Affairs Victoria website or obtained in hard copy from the RTBA.

For details on how to make a Freedom of Information Request, visit our
Freedom of Information page.