On 22 September 2026, Consumer Affairs Victoria said Western Regional Real Estate Pty Ltd, trading as MASPROP Real Estate, had been fined $21,000 after pleading guilty to three charges relating to late lodgement of 51 bonds. CAV said the agency accepted more than $100,000 in bond money, with some bonds lodged more than a year late.
The regulator also said separate VCAT disciplinary proceedings against MASPROP Real Estate and director Mitre Stojcevski remain on foot. It said criminal proceedings are also underway against Nasheet Enterprises Pty Ltd, trading as Zed Real Estate, over alleged late lodgement of 37 bonds valued at $142,000, and against M & K Investment Solutions over alleged failures involving 35 bonds.
Real Estate Business covered the announcement on 23 September, framing it as part of CAV's continuing crackdown on Victorian rental agencies that lodge bonds late. CAV says rental providers and their agents must lodge rental bonds with the RTBA within 10 business days of receiving the bond.
The timing matters because Victorian bond admin has already been changing. Renters can now choose to pay their bond directly to the RTBA through electronic transactions, and CAV's rental-law update page says further changes from 13 October 2026 will affect bond claims, prescribed professional cleaning terms, rental minimum standards records and gas and electrical safety check evidence.
Check the handoff between renter, agency and RTBA
Late bond lodgement is usually a workflow problem before it is a tribunal problem. A renter pays, the receipt lands somewhere, a property is leased quickly, and the team assumes the bond is already moving through the right channel.
For Victorian rentals, keep one place in the file that shows how the bond was paid, who received it, when it was received, when the RTBA lodgement was created, when the renter accepted or was asked to accept it, and the final RTBA bond number or receipt. If there is a delay, record the reason while it is still fresh.
Do not mix direct-payment and agency-payment files
Victoria's direct-to-RTBA payment option means some tenancies will no longer follow the old pattern where the renter pays the agency first and the agency forwards the bond. That can help reduce handling, but it also creates a new record-keeping trap if staff keep using old checklists.
The file should make the payment route obvious. If the renter pays the RTBA directly, keep the RTBA payment instruction and acceptance trail. If the renter pays the agency or rental provider, keep the date received and the lodgement evidence. Do not rely on a bank feed alone to explain which process was used.
Reconcile pending bonds before move-in week ends
A practical weekly check is enough for many agencies: every new tenancy should have a bond status against it, not just a note that the renter has paid. The useful status labels are plain ones: instruction sent, renter action pending, agency received funds, lodged with RTBA, accepted, bond number recorded, or issue escalated.
That check should sit near the rest of the leasing file. If keys are handed over, the entry condition report is issued, photos are uploaded and the lease is signed, the bond record should not be the one thing waiting in someone's inbox.
Keep evidence for later bond claims too
CAV's rental-law update page says that from 13 October 2026, a renter or rental provider making a bond claim will need to provide evidence to the RTBA before the authority can pay out all or part of a bond. CAV gives examples such as VCAT orders, receipts, signed condition reports, invoices, photos and other evidence.
That is a separate step from lodgement, but the admin habit is the same. Store bond paperwork beside condition reports, inspection photos, repair invoices, cleaning records and renter messages. A bond file that starts clean is easier to finish clean.
Update staff prompts before the next lease starts
Bond questions should not need a senior property manager every time. Give leasing staff a short prompt: confirm the payment route, record the date funds were received or the direct-payment instruction was sent, check RTBA status, save the bond number, and escalate anything still pending after the agency's internal deadline.
Owners do not need a long explanation unless there is a delay or dispute. They do need confidence that the bond is not sitting in limbo. A short owner note can say the bond has been lodged, is awaiting renter action, or has a recorded RTBA bond number.
What to do this week
Run a quick exception report across new Victorian tenancies. Look for bond money received but not matched to an RTBA lodgement, direct-payment instructions with no acceptance trail, and files with a bond number missing from the tenancy record.
This article is general information for rental operators, not legal advice. Check the CAV release, RTBA guidance and your agency's own procedures before changing bond workflows or advising on a specific tenancy.
Sources checked
Reviewed 2026-09-25.