Refund of rental bond: updated RTA Form 4

What’s changed

• Guidance moved to the start. Advice on completing the form now appears first, including what to do if there are more than 4 tenants and how digital signatures work.
• Section headings. The form is split into clearly labelled sections.
• Room number field. A dedicated field for the room number in rooming accommodation.
• Ending early. A new question asks whether the agreement ended earlier than its expected end date (a break lease) and, if so, who ended it.
• Room for 4 tenants. Tenant details now cover up to 4 tenants or residents, up from 3.
• Bond amounts must balance. The form makes clear that the individual refund amounts must add up to the total bond held by the RTA.

There are also minor wording and layout changes throughout.

Key points for property managers

More than 4 tenants

If there are more than 4 tenants or residents, complete a second form for the additional people.

Digital signatures

The RTA accepts digital signatures from approved digital signature platforms. Each digital signature must come with a certificate of completion, signature record or audit trail document.

Totals

Check that the amounts for each tenant or resident and the property manager or owner add up to the total bond before you lodge the form.

Why the change

The Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) made these updates to improve the customer experience and to clarify existing regulatory requirements.

What to do

Use the updated form for bond refunds from 3 October 2026.

The RTA has also updated its condition report forms. Read Condition reports: updated RTA Forms 1a and R1.