What Happens After You Find a Tenant in the ACT: Leases, Bonds, and Next Steps

Congratulations on finding a tenant! This guide assumes you’ve already screened your applicants and chosen your preferred tenant — ideally using PropertyNow’s Rental Management subscription, which helps you handle everything in one place. Even if you’re not using our subscription yet, this guide will still help you understand what comes next.

Tip: Once you’ve accepted a tenant, remember to mark your listing as leased in your PropertyNow account.
We’ll automatically notify all other enquirers and applicants (except the successful tenant) that the property has been leased — saving you time and avoiding awkward follow-ups.

Step 1: Create and Send Your Lease Agreement

Once your tenant is approved, you can create your lease agreement directly through your PropertyNow account — it only takes a few clicks.

• We’ll pre-fill the tenant’s details automatically from their application to save you time and ensure accuracy.
• You’ll confirm key details such as rent amount, bond amount, and lease term.
• Both you and your tenant can sign digitally for convenience and compliance.

When you generate the agreement, your tenant will automatically receive an invitation to access their own PropertyNow tenant account.

From there, they can:

• View and sign the lease
• See payment details
• Set up their rent payments if you’re using our automated rent collection service

PropertyNow also automatically provides the tenant with:

• The Renting Book, published by the ACT Government

Once finalised, your lease agreement and tenant’s application will be stored automatically in your PropertyNow account for easy access anytime.

Step 2: Prepare for bond collection and lodgement

Bonds in the ACT must be lodged with the ACT Revenue Office’s Rental Bonds Portal. Either you or the tenant can lodge the bond online.

To learn more about the process, see our detailed guide here: How to lodge the bond in ACT

You can also read official guidance at the ACT Revenue Office:

ACT Revenue – How to Lodge a Bond

Step 3: Complete the Entry (Condition) Report

Before the tenant moves in, you’ll need to complete a condition report to document the property’s condition at the start of the tenancy.

• Download a blank copy here: ACT Revenue – Condition Report Forms
• Complete the report thoroughly, including detailed notes and photos.

Step 4: Review Legal and Safety Obligations

Before signing or handing over keys, make sure that:

• You’ve read and understood The Renting Book (attached in your onboarding email).
• If renting an apartment or unit, you’ve located a copy of the owners’ corporation rules to provide to the tenant.
• If available, you’ve obtained a copy of the Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) statement for the property and supplied it to the tenant.
• Smoke alarms are installed and working.
• The property meets required minimum housing standards, and you’ve informed the tenant whether the property complies before or at the time of signing the lease.
• You’ve prepared keys, remotes, and access devices — each tenant named in the agreement must receive their own set.

For detailed information on your rights and obligations, refer to the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (ACT):

ACT Legislation – Residential Tenancies Act 1997

Step 5: Keep Everything Organised

All of your key documents — including the lease agreement, tenant application, and any other uploaded files — are automatically stored in your PropertyNow account.

You can access them anytime for reference or record-keeping.

We recommend also storing your:

• Entry (condition) report
• Bond confirmation
• Compliance certificates
• Maintenance notes or receipts

Having everything in one place keeps you compliant and makes managing your tenancy simple and stress-free.

Summary Checklist

• [ ] Mark your listing as leased in your PropertyNow account
• [ ] Create and send your lease agreement
• [ ] Ensure your tenant accesses their account and rent setup
• [ ] Complete and provide the condition report
• [ ] Lodge the bond via the ACT Revenue Rental Bonds Portal
• [ ] Review safety standards, EER, and owners’ corporation rules
• [ ] Keep all records securely in your PropertyNow account

Need help?

Our support team is here to help with any step of the process.

Email support@propertynow.com.au or call 1300 664 773.

Updated on: 29/10/2025