How to Apply for a Bond Loan or Rental Grant in Queensland

Which bond loan or rental grant should you apply for?

Queensland offers several types of help with the upfront cost of moving into a rental home. A Bond Loan covers up to four weeks' rent for the bond. A Bond Loan Plus can cover the bond plus an amount equal to two weeks' rent, up to six weeks' rent in total. A Bridging Bond Loan helps pay a new bond while you wait for the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) to release your current bond. These are interest-free and fee-free loans that must be repaid.

A Rental Grant is a one-off payment of two weeks' rent for an eligible person in housing crisis. It is paid to the property owner or manager and does not need to be repaid. The online service also offers combined applications for a Bond Loan and Rental Grant or a Bridging Bond Loan and Rental Grant. Queensland advises people experiencing domestic, family or sexual violence to consider a Bond Loan and Rental Grant rather than Bond Loan Plus.

Who is eligible?

For these Queensland products, you generally must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or holder of a temporary protection or bridging visa; meet the income limit for your household; and have less than $5,500 in combined cash or savings among the bond loan applicants, excluding dependants. You must not own or part-own residential property or the specified types of caravan, mobile home or permanently connected live-aboard boat. Generally, you must not already live in the property for which you need the bond; the Bridging Bond Loan has an exception.

For a Bond Loan, Bridging Bond Loan or Rental Grant, the proposed rent must be no more than 60% of all applicants' combined gross weekly income. Household income limits differ by the number of adults and dependants and are assessed using all applicants' income. Bond Loan Plus has product-specific rules, so check it separately in the Queensland eligibility tool. If you have an outstanding debt to the housing department, you may need to sign a repayment agreement.

A Rental Grant requires an additional qualifying circumstance. Examples include experiencing domestic, family or sexual violence; being homeless or at risk of homelessness; leaving a Queensland community-based rent scheme; or having recently left a qualifying shelter, correctional, health or child protection setting after the required stay. Some circumstances have a specific application period or evidence requirement. If you are under 18, Queensland directs you to contact Housing Services for advice rather than assuming the standard application applies.

What documents do you need?

Each applicant must provide proof of income, at least two types of identification, proof of Australian residency status and details of the rental home. Gather information for every person who will sign the tenancy agreement, because their combined income is used in the assessment. Rental Grant applicants should also prepare evidence supporting the particular crisis circumstance they rely on.

For a paper application, Queensland provides an Application for Bond Loan/Bridging Bond Loan and Rental Grant form and a separate Application for Bond Loan Plus form. Use the additional applicants form if more than two people are applying.

How do you apply?

1. Use the Queensland Government's eligibility checker to identify which assistance you may qualify for.
2. Select the matching application in the Bond Loan and Rental Grant online service. It offers separate and eligible combined applications. You can save an unfinished online application and return to it within 28 days.
3. Enter the applicants' and rental property's details, provide the required evidence and submit the application.
4. If you cannot apply online, complete the appropriate paper form and contact Housing Services or a Housing Service Centre for help submitting it.

Apply with accurate details about the proposed home and all applicants. Approval is not the same as immediate payment of the bond or first rent instalment.

What happens after you apply?

Queensland says an application should be assessed within four working days after receipt and that you will be notified of the outcome. You can check its status online or in the Housing Assist Qld app using your online application reference or bond loan number and date of birth.

After a Bond Loan is approved, the department sends an approval letter and loan agreement. The property owner or manager must sign and lodge the bond form with the RTA; the department pays the bond funds to the RTA after it processes that form. For Bond Loan Plus, the extra two weeks' rent is paid to the property owner or manager. After a Rental Grant is approved, the owner or manager must return a tenancy confirmation form before the grant is paid directly to them. Your first rent payment may fall due before these payments are processed, so check the tenancy agreement and plan for that possibility.

Do you have to repay the assistance?

You must repay a Bond Loan, Bond Loan Plus or Bridging Bond Loan under its loan agreement. Each person named on that agreement is responsible for ensuring the full amount is repaid. A Rental Grant is not repayable. If you receive Centrelink payments, the Queensland Rent Deduction Scheme is a condition of bond loan approval when the application is processed; the department explains the available repayment arrangements.

Bond loans and grants address the upfront cost of a Queensland tenancy. If you already receive Centrelink Rent Assistance, keep your rent information current using the separate procedure for updating your Rent Assistance details.