Many renters who have moved house will know what it feels like to be out of pocket for two bonds at once, as you pay a bond for a new place before the old bond is released.
That could all change soon for renters in NSW, with the government planning to introduce a new law to parliament this week that would allow renters to transfer their bond between properties.
Bianca Dinnen, 36, recently moved with her husband and three children from Jordan Springs in Sydney's west to nearby Werrington, in order to save money on rent so they can save enough to eventually move interstate.
The new bond for the Werrington house was $1,800, which she had to pay at the start of the month. But she still hasn't received the $2,200 bond from her old house, meaning she's currently up to $4,000 out of pocket.
That's a challenge for Dinnen and her family, who have bills due. "We've got two teenagers and a little newborn, so I need that money back," she told BuzzFeed News.
The process for having the bond refunded has been "really stressful". She claims an issue with her property manager about how the carpets should be cleaned at the end of the lease delayed the final inspection.
A week after she'd expected to hear back about the bond, Dinnen took matters into her own hands and applied to release the bond on October 15. Dinnen said the agent told her that because she had claimed the bond herself, they didn't have any obligation to release it to her for another 14 days, which means she could be waiting another week.
Under the NSW government's proposal, instead of producing $1,800 to pay the second bond and waiting weeks for a refund on the first bond, someone in Dinnen's position could just transfer their old bond to the new property.
Bonds would still serve a purpose, as landlords could deduct money from the bond for unpaid rent and bills.
"Moving house is stressful enough, and there's often many unexpected costs involved that you don't realise until you're neck-deep in moving boxes," said NSW minister for better regulation Matt Kean, who is responsible for the bill.
"Having to fork out for a new bond, while waiting for the other one to be released, causes significant financial stress for families, especially when they can cost thousands of dollars."
Renee Marks, a 31-year-old mental health outreach worker who lives in Sydney, is also waiting to get a bond refunded weeks after moving.
She and her partner moved from their share house in St Peters three weeks ago, paying a bond of over $3,000 for a new place in Beverley Park. But they still haven't been refunded their first bond, which is also around $3,000.
Marks said the real estate agent was willing to sign off on the bond, but that the landlord had made a list of complaints, which Marks described as "petty". She remained hopeful of seeing the full bond returned, but has "no idea" when.
Having moved from a share house to their own place, she and her partner have had to find the money for a fridge, couch and washing machine.
Most renters get their full bond back. Details on how deductions would be made from bonds under the NSW proposal if the landlord made a successful claim are unclear.
One idea proposed by consumer group Choice is to have the Rental Bond Board provide a provisional certificate, which would allow the entire bond amount to be transferred from one property to another. The tenant would have to pay any damages to the former landlord separately within a short timeframe.
If payment were not made, it would considered a breach similar to non-payment of a bond.