Ten small repair items cause most of the arguments over bond money at the end of a tenancy: nail and picture hook holes, scuffed skirting boards, sticking doors, fly screens, bathroom silicone, marks on surfaces, sliding door tracks, loose towel rails, cracked tiles and window locks. Each is cheap to fix before the exit inspection and awkward to argue about afterwards.
How an agent treats a mark depends on where it is and what caused it. A scuff in a hallway that sees daily traffic reads differently from a chip in a corner nobody uses, and a fresh repaint is held to a higher standard than an old one. NSW Fair Trading’s published examples, on its fair wear and tear versus damage page, show the principle: ordinary use is wear, while a single event or misuse is damage.
The list below covers items commonly raised at final inspections on jobs across Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, the Gold Coast and Melbourne. It is a practical guide, not a legal ruling.
Why Fixing Items Yourself Costs Less
A repair arranged by a landlord or property manager after you move out generally costs more and gives you less say over who does the work. Each visit can carry a call-out fee, so ten small jobs can turn into ten invoices.
Urgent Pro handyman providers start from $220 per job, and one visit can cover several items from the list below. The final quote depends on the number of items, access and materials, and is confirmed in writing before the job starts. For what handyman jobs cost around Australia, see our handyman pricing guide.
Make repair and maintenance requests in writing and keep copies. Written records protect you if there is a dispute and show that problems were reported rather than ignored.
The Ten Repairs That Most Often Cost Tenants Their Bond
1. Nail and picture hook holes. A few small holes may be accepted where your lease allows hanging pictures. Large anchor holes, holes in door frames and clusters of holes are damage. Filling small holes before the inspection is cheap and quick. See how to patch small wall holes neatly for the method.
2. Skirting boards. Light scuffs are ordinary wear. Gouges, chips and paint transfer are damage. Touch up minor marks before the inspection.
3. Doors and hinges. A door should close properly. Loose hinges and handles from years of use are wear, but a door forced or slammed off its hinges is damage. A sticking or loose door is quick to fix and easy for an agent to spot on a walk-through.
4. Fly screens. Torn or bent fly screens are noted at inspection and are cheap to replace. Property managers often charge for the screen, the labour and the travel time.
5. Bathroom grout and silicone. Ageing grout and silicone is ordinary wear. Mould from poor ventilation or cleaning, and seals that have failed through neglect, can be claimed. Re-sealing silicone is a low-cost, simple repair.
6. Stains and marks on surfaces. Marks in high-traffic areas are more likely to be read as wear, while stains and burns are damage. A long tenancy does not exempt damage you caused.
7. Sliding door rollers and tracks. Worn tracks are wear. Bent or broken rollers and tracks are damage, and dirt-clogged tracks are a cleaning item. Small items like these add up, and a landlord who has several may pursue them together through the tribunal.
8. Towel rails and toilet paper holders. Fixings that have come loose from the wall are noted at inspection. Re-attaching them is easy.
9. Tile damage. If cracked or chipped tiles were not recorded on the entry condition report and the cause was your use, you can be held liable for the repair or replacement. Fix or replace them before the inspection if they are yours to answer for.
10. Window tracks and locks. Tracks clogged with dirt may be raised as a cleaning item. A failing window lock is a repair item and a security concern that can hold up the release of the bond.
What Happens When Repair Costs Exceed the Bond
A landlord who engages a tradesperson after you leave is usually invoiced item by item, sometimes as separate call-outs. Small invoices for hinges, fly screens, silicone, tiles and wardrobe runners can total more than the bond. If the cost of damage you caused is greater than the bond, you can be held liable for the difference. The bond is not a cap on what you can owe.
How to Approach This Before Your Inspection
Start with the entry condition report and check each of the ten items against it. In Queensland, what the bond cleaning scope covers and the Residential Tenancies Authority’s guidance on tenant repair responsibilities are worth reading, and the QLD bond clean checklist sets out what agents check on the cleaning side.
Arrange repairs about a week before the inspection and the clean for the day before, so the cleaners finish after any dust from the repairs has settled. For the wider picture on protecting your full bond refund, that guide covers the usual oversights.
To book a handyman before the inspection, the Urgent Pro network covers Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast.
FAQs
What is fair wear and tear?
Fair wear and tear is the normal deterioration from everyday use, and its cost generally falls on the landlord. A door hinge worked loose over years of use is wear, while a hinge broken by slamming is damage. Both the location and the cause of the damage matter when an agent or tribunal decides.
What happens if the cost of a repair exceeds the bond?
If the cost of damage you caused is greater than the bond, you can be held liable for the difference. The bond does not cap the debt, and the landlord can pursue the rest through the state’s tribunal or court process.
Can a property manager deduct bond money for repairs?
A landlord or agent can claim against the bond for damage beyond fair wear and tear, but the bond is held by a state authority and released through its process, so the property manager cannot simply keep it. The claim needs evidence that the item was in good condition at the start, usually the entry condition report.
What if I think the repairs claimed on the exit report are unjustified?
You can dispute the claim through the state process. In Queensland, the RTA’s dispute resolution service comes first, with QCAT if the dispute is not resolved. In WA, since March 2026 the Commissioner for Consumer Protection decides disputed bonds, with an appeal to the Magistrates Court within 7 days. In NSW, disputes go to NCAT through Rental Bonds Online and NSW Fair Trading. In Victoria, the RTBA and Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria handle claims, with VCAT deciding unresolved matters. Useful evidence includes your entry condition report, photos from inspections and written messages with the property manager.
Is it worth fixing minor repairs before the final inspection?
Usually yes. Small repairs done beforehand cost less than the same items invoiced by a landlord’s contractor after the exit report, and you remain liable for any amount above the bond.
Can Urgent Pro handyman providers complete repairs before the end of a lease?
Yes. Providers on the Urgent Pro handyman network can complete common non-licensed repairs before you vacate. The pricing guide above covers costs and scope.