Portable rental bonds: what actually changed in 2026
For as long as bonds have existed, moving between rentals meant finding a second bond — often four weeks' rent — while the first one was still locked up. In 2026, two states finally did something about it. Victoria's Portable Rental Bond Scheme started on 1 July 2026, and NSW's Smart Rental Bonds went live on 10 August 2026. Both let you move your existing bond to your next place for a $25 fee instead of fronting a whole new one.
That's genuinely good news. It's also narrower than the headlines suggest — especially if you live in a share house. Here's the short version, with the fine print where it matters.
| Victoria | NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| Started | 1 July 2026 | 10 August 2026 |
| Where | Statewide | Parramatta, Penrith and Central Coast first; statewide expected by end of 2026 |
| Fee | $25 | $25 |
| Who runs it | Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA) | NSW Fair Trading, via Rental Bonds Online |
| The catch for sharers | Same renters must be on both bonds — a share house splitting up isn't eligible, and rooming houses are excluded | Same tenants on both tenancies, and you must be vacating within 4 weeks |
Full detail: Victoria's scheme · NSW Smart Rental Bonds
Both schemes cover one shape of move
The same people, moving together, from one whole tenancy to another. A lot of share-house life doesn't look like that.
Moving into an existing share house?
If you're not named on the bond — say the head-tenant holds it — there's nothing to port. The schemes don't apply to you.
Share house splitting up?
In Victoria, renters from one bond moving to different properties are expressly ineligible. You'll each need a fresh bond.
Living in a rooming house?
Victoria's scheme excludes rooming houses, caravan parks and Part 4A dwellings outright.
Swapping one housemate?
That's a different process in both states — a renter transfer (VIC) or a change of shared tenancy form (NSW) — and no money moves through the authority when housemates swap. The bond share you're owed is between you and your housemates.
None of this makes the schemes useless for sharers — a whole household moving together is covered, and that happens. But if a listing or a landlord tells you "the bond just transfers now", check which of these shapes your move actually is.
Rumy never holds bonds, never moves money, and can't check your bond status with the RTBA or Fair Trading — no platform can; neither authority offers any third-party lookup. What you tell households about your bond is your own declaration, like everything else in a conversation between housemates.
All statutory facts verified against government sources on 20 August 2026: vic.gov.au/portable-bonds · consumer.vic.gov.au · nsw.gov.au Smart Rental Bonds · Consumer Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (Vic) · Residential Tenancies Amendment (Rental Fairness) Act 2023 (NSW). Rules change — check the government page for your state before relying on any of this.