You don’t need to do anything tonight.
That email with the deadline is real, but the deadline isn’t the important one. Nothing is lost if it passes. Here is the whole thing in about two minutes.
- Tonight’s deadline is a convenience, not a rule. It’s called “Fast Track”, and it only exists to pay a bond out quickly when everyone already agrees. Letting it pass costs nothing at all.
- The one that matters arrives next, and it’s 14 days. A letter called a Notice of Claim. If nothing is done in those 14 days, the full bond goes to the tenant automatically. That is the date to put in the diary.
- Whether the water can be kept comes down to one question. Was the tenant given a copy of the actual water bill within four weeks of it arriving? If yes, there’s a good claim. If no, it’s not worth chasing.
What actually happens next
The whole process, start to finish
Two of these have real deadlines. The first one doesn’t. Everything below is set out in the order it will happen.
-
48 hours · tonight · safe to ignore
The “Fast Track” email
This is the one that landed. It closes at 11pm on the second day after the tenant lodged their request. Its only job is to settle things instantly if everybody agrees.
If it passes: nothing happens. No penalty, no black mark, no money lost. It simply moves to the next step. -
14 clear days · the real one
A Notice of Claim arrives
The RTA sends this formally. It is the proper opportunity to say “we don’t agree with the full amount”.
If nothing is done: the bond is paid to the tenant in full, exactly as they asked. This is the only step where doing nothing costs money. -
a form, filled in online
Disagree, and only about the water
It’s a Dispute Resolution Request, done online. The helpful part: the RTA releases everything that isn’t in dispute straight to the tenant, and holds back only the water amount.
So there’s no need to hold the whole bond. Just the water figure. That also reads far better later on. -
a phone call, free
Someone from the RTA phones
A conciliator calls both sides and tries to find an agreement. It’s free, it’s informal, and most things end here. A claim backed by an actual bill is usually straightforward.
-
7 days · short
Only if that call doesn’t settle it
A Notice of Unresolved Dispute is issued. From that point there are just 7 days to take it to QCAT, the tribunal that decides these things. It’s a short window and it is easy to miss.
Most cases never reach here. It’s listed so it can’t be a surprise.
The water bill
Can the water actually be kept back?
In Queensland it comes down to four things, and all four have to be true. Answer these and the page will say what it thinks. Nothing is sent anywhere, it all stays on this device.
Does the property have its own water meter, just for that place?
Not shared with neighbours or other units. If water is delivered by truck, that counts too.
Are the taps, shower heads and toilets water saving?
Officially: taps and shower heads no more than 9 litres a minute, and dual flush toilets no more than 6.5 litres full and 3.5 litres half. If a tenant questions this, it’s the owner who has to show it, so a plumber’s certificate or the receipts for the fittings are what’s wanted. You can sanity check a tap yourself with a bucket and a timer.
Does the signed tenancy agreement say the tenant pays for water?
It has to be written in the agreement. A conversation or an assumption isn’t enough.
Was the tenant given a copy of the actual bill within four weeks of it arriving?
This is the one that decides most cases. An email with the bill attached, and its date, is perfect proof.
Answer the four above
A plain answer will appear here. There’s no wrong answer to give, and “not sure” is a perfectly good one.
Before anything else
Two things worth checking first
Has the tenancy properly finished?
The request was for an early return of the bond, which is worth pausing on. If the final inspection and exit condition report haven’t been done yet, nothing should be agreed. Once the bond is released there’s nothing held in reserve, and any money owed after that has to be chased from someone who has already moved on.
Does a final water bill even exist yet?
Water is billed quarterly. If the tenant left partway through a quarter, there may be no bill covering their last weeks, and payment can’t be asked for on a bill that hasn’t been given to them. The fix is simple: most Queensland water providers will do a special final meter reading for a small fee when a tenancy ends. It’s worth a phone call on Monday.
The plan
What to do, and when
Tonight
Optional. Five minutes, or skip it entirely.
- Sign in to RTA Web Services directly through the website, rather than a link in the email, and check the request is genuine.
- Note the amount being claimed.
- If there’s a “disagree” option, click it. Then close the laptop. That’s genuinely it.
Monday, when there’s time
This is the part that actually decides it.
- Find the tenancy agreement and the clause about water. A photo of it is enough.
- Gather the water bills, and note when each one arrived.
- Find the emails where each bill was sent on to the tenant. The dates on those emails matter more than anything else here.
- Dig out anything showing the taps and toilets are water saving: a plumber’s certificate, an invoice, or clear photos. If the certificate is more than a few years old it carries less weight, so it’s worth a fresh look.
- Two minute sanity check: hold a 9 litre bucket under a tap and time it. If it fills in under a minute, that tap isn’t compliant, and it’s much better to know now than to find out later.
- Ring the water provider about a final meter reading, if the last period hasn’t been billed.
- Take the fixed service charge out of the figure. Water used only.
If the decision is to disagree
One extra step that is genuinely important.
- Disagree about the water amount only, and let the rest go back to the tenant.
- The same day, email the tenant the bill and the workings. Since September 2024 this is a legal requirement within 14 days, with a penalty attached for not doing it. It’s a two minute email and it also makes the case stronger.
- Keep everything written down calm and factual. A conciliator or a tribunal member may read it later, and plain politeness reads very well.
Being honest about it
Is it worth the bother?
If it’s a small amount, or anything above is shaky
Let it go, with a clear conscience. Below roughly $150 the hours involved, and the short deadlines to keep track of, cost more than the money. Releasing the bond and closing the chapter is a perfectly good outcome and not a defeat.
If it’s a decent amount and the four answers were all yes
Then it’s worth disagreeing. A water claim backed by a real bill, a clear clause in the agreement, and dated emails is about as straightforward as these get. It’s documentary and dull, which is exactly the kind of thing that gets sorted quickly on the conciliation call.
From other owners
What people who have done this actually report
The official rules are one thing. What follows is from Queensland owners, tenants and agents writing about cases they actually went through, plus guidance from the Real Estate Institute of Queensland. These are people’s experiences rather than court rulings, so they are worth knowing but not worth relying on. Encouragingly, they line up with everything above.
The 14 day rule is real, and people have watched it happen
“On receipt of the bond claim the RTA notifies the landlord and they have 14 days to respond. No response from them and you get your full bond back.” Whirlpool Forums, a tenant describing their own bond claim
What this means for us: the 14 days is the part to take seriously, and the tonight email genuinely isn’t. Nobody in these threads describes any consequence for letting the fast option lapse.
If the tenant questions the water saving taps, it’s the owner who has to prove it
“If the tenant disputes paying for water usage on the basis the property doesn’t meet the water efficiency requirements, the onus is on the lessor to provide evidence that it does.” Real Estate Institute of Queensland
The REIQ also confirms a plumber’s certificate is not legally required (“No, it’s not law. However, having this evidence is best practice”), and that receipts for the fittings can do the job, though a certificate is what they’d want if it ever reached the tribunal.
What this means for us: this is the one to prepare for. Finding the plumber’s certificate or the receipts before disagreeing is time very well spent.
Tenants do actually test the taps, and it sometimes works
“Get a 9L bucket and stopwatch. Start stop watch, turn tap on. If it fills under 60s either you need a new stopwatch or its non compliant.” Whirlpool Forums, advice given to a tenant
In that thread the tenant filmed the taps running faster than the limit, and the agent dropped the invoice to about $100. In another, a water efficiency certificate that was three years old was successfully questioned, because fittings get replaced and wear out over time.
What this means for us: if the certificate is old, the claim is softer than it looks. It costs nothing to check a tap with a bucket and a timer before deciding anything.
Sitting on bills is treated badly
“While the Act does not provide timeframes for invoices to be given to tenants, if the matter is taken to QCAT, a previous ruling stated it was ‘unreasonable for a lessor to withhold water charges.’” Whirlpool Forums, discussing a tenant sent nine months of bills at once
That thread predates the current four week rule, which has since made the position much clearer. The direction of travel is the same either way.
The amounts involved are usually modest
In the threads we found, annual water bills sat around $400 to $480, one owner offered a $120 credit to settle, and someone reporting a tribunal outcome described tenants getting roughly a ten per cent reduction, around $50. The general feeling among owners was that a long fight over a modest water bill costs more in time and stress than it recovers.
What this means for us: it supports the honest answer above. If it’s a small amount, letting it go is what experienced owners tend to do too, and they don’t seem to regret it.
If you want the detail
The exact wording
None of this is necessary reading. It’s here so the page can be trusted, and so anything above can be checked.
The two deadlines, in the RTA’s own words
“one or more parties has not responded to the Fast Track request within the allocated 48-hour timeframe” Residential Tenancies Authority, Online Bond Refund
“All parties have 14 clear days to respond to the Notice of claim. If no one disputes the bond refund within this time, the refund will be automatically paid out as per the original refund request.” Residential Tenancies Authority, Online Bond Refund
On a bond dispute, an application must be made to QCAT within 7 days of receiving the Notice of Unresolved Dispute. If no application is made, the RTA pays the bond as set out in the original refund request.
Why the four-week rule decides most water claims
“A tenant/resident is not required to pay for service charges if a property manager/owner fails to provide a copy of the document from the relevant service provider.” Residential Tenancies Authority, Water charging fact sheet
The copy has to reach the tenant within four weeks of the owner receiving it from the water provider. If that window was missed, the obligation to pay falls away entirely. That is why it is the first thing to check, and why it is worth finding the sent emails before anything else.
The water saving standard, in full
Taps: maximum flow rate of 9 litres per minute.
Shower heads: maximum flow rate of 9 litres per minute.
Toilets: dual flush, not exceeding 6.5 litres on a full flush and 3.5 litres on a half flush.
All of these have to be met for the property to count as water efficient. A plumber’s certificate is the cleanest proof, but purchase invoices and clear photographs of WELS-rated fittings are commonly accepted.
The evidence rule that applies to owners
Since 30 September 2024, an owner who claims or disputes a bond refund must give the tenant supporting evidence within 14 days of doing so. That means the bill, the meter readings and the calculation. The evidence goes to the tenant, not to the RTA.
Not doing it is an offence, with a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units.
There was a twelve month transition for bonds lodged before 30 September 2024, but it ended on 30 September 2025. As things stand in August 2026, it applies to every bond.
Where all of this comes from
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from the Residential Tenancies Authority, the Queensland government body that holds rental bonds.
- RTA: Online Bond Refund
- RTA: Bond refunds
- RTA: Dispute Resolution Request (Form 16)
- RTA: Water charging
- RTA: Water charging fact sheet
- RTA: Rental bonds fact sheet
- RTA: QCAT dispute options and application
The RTA also runs a free phone line on 1300 366 311, Monday to Friday. They are helpful, and calling them costs nothing.