If there's one document that decides the outcome of almost every bond dispute in Australia, it's the condition report. It's the single piece of evidence that tribunals rely on more than anything else — and yet most tenants barely glance at it when they move in.
Whether you're currently in a dispute or just starting a new lease, understanding the condition report could save you hundreds or thousands of dollars.
What Is a Condition Report?
A condition report (sometimes called an ingoing inspection report or property condition report) is a document that records the state of a rental property at the start of a tenancy. It covers every room, fixture, and surface — walls, floors, carpets, appliances, windows, doors, bathrooms, and outdoor areas.
In most Australian states, landlords are legally required to provide you with a condition report at the start of your tenancy. In NSW, this obligation sits under section 35 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010. In Victoria, it's section 35 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997.
Why It Matters So Much
The condition report establishes the baseline. When you move out and the landlord claims you've caused damage, the tribunal's first question will be: "What did the condition report say when the tenant moved in?"
If the landlord claims you damaged the carpet, but the condition report notes "carpet worn in hallway and living room" at the start of the tenancy, their claim falls apart. The carpet was already worn — you didn't cause that.
If the landlord claims you left the walls marked and in need of repainting, but the condition report says "minor scuff marks on walls in bedroom 2," they've just proven the marks were already there.
The Mistake Most Tenants Make at Move-In
Here's the problem: most tenants receive the condition report, skim it, sign it, and hand it back. They don't add their own notes. They don't take photos. They don't flag the marks on the walls, the stain already on the carpet, or the chipped tile in the bathroom.
Then, two years later, when the landlord deducts $800 for "carpet damage," the tenant has no record that the stain was already there.
What you should do when you get a condition report: Go through the property room by room with the report in hand. Look at every surface, open every cupboard, check every appliance. Note everything — every mark, every scuff, every chip, every stain. Be thorough to the point of being pedantic.
Take photos of everything, with timestamps. Walk through the whole property and photograph it the same way you would at move-out. These photos, combined with your annotated condition report, create a comprehensive record that's very hard for a landlord to argue against.
Return the annotated condition report within the required timeframe. In NSW, you have 7 days to return it with your comments. Don't miss this deadline — if you do, the landlord's version stands unchallenged.
What If You Don't Have a Condition Report?
This is more common than you'd think. Some landlords don't provide one (which may be a breach of their obligations), and some tenants lose their copy over the course of a long tenancy.
The good news: a missing condition report generally hurts the landlord more than it hurts you.
In a tribunal dispute, the landlord bears the burden of proving that you caused the damage they're claiming for. Without a condition report, they have no documented evidence of the property's starting condition. They can't prove the carpet stain wasn't there before you moved in. They can't prove the walls were freshly painted.
This doesn't mean you'll automatically win without a condition report, but it significantly weakens the landlord's position. Tribunals take the absence of a condition report seriously — it's the landlord's legal obligation to provide one, and if they didn't, the evidentiary gap they've created works against them.
Using Your Condition Report in a Dispute
When you're disputing bond deductions, the condition report should be the foundation of your argument. For every item the landlord claims, ask yourself: "What does the condition report say about this?"
If the condition report supports your position — for example, it notes pre-existing wear on an item the landlord is now claiming you damaged — reference it directly. Quote the exact wording from the report.
If the condition report is silent on the item — argue that the lack of specificity means the landlord didn't document any issue with the item, and therefore accepted its condition at the start of the tenancy.
If you don't have a condition report — raise this explicitly. Point out that the landlord had a legal obligation to provide one and failed to do so, and that without it, they cannot establish the baseline condition of the property.