---
title: "Bond claim and condition report comparison checklist: claim items, evidence and fair wear and tear (NSW)"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/precedents/residential-tenancies/bond-claim-condition-report-comparison-checklist-nsw"
type: "precedent"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "a57-bond-claim-condition-report-comparison-checklist-nsw"
area_id: "A57"
kind: "checklist"
ai_level: "yellow"
version: 1
task_ids: ["A57-N20261018-5", "A57-N20261018-4"]
law_stated_as_at: "2026-10-18"
---

# Bond claim and condition report comparison checklist: claim items, evidence and fair wear and tear (NSW)

> Checklist to build or test a NSW bond claim: compare the ingoing and outgoing condition reports room by room, separate damage from fair wear and tear, test each claim item against the permitted heads, cost evidence and…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/precedents/residential-tenancies/bond-claim-condition-report-comparison-checklist-nsw  
Law stated as at: 2026-10-18

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

Checklist to build or test a NSW bond claim: compare the ingoing and outgoing condition reports room by room, separate damage from fair wear and tear, test each claim item against the permitted heads, cost evidence and timing, and the dispute route.

## Key facts

- Kind: Checklist. Steps or checks to work through and tick off.
- Practice area: [Residential Tenancies](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/residential-tenancies.md)
- Jurisdictions: New South Wales
- AI level: Yellow. AI can help in set ways. A lawyer checks specific points before use.
- Law stated as at: 2026-10-18
- Status: Maintained. Checked on 2026-10-18 against the 4 authorities it cites, for New South Wales.

## When to use it

Use at the end of a NSW residential tenancy when preparing a landlord’s bond claim or responding to one for a tenant. It assumes an ingoing condition report was completed under s 29. Where there is none, the landlord’s evidence of the starting condition is weaker and the checklist flags it.

## Used for these tasks

- [Build the bond claim schedule from the condition reports](https://ailawframework.com/practice/residential-tenancies.md#A57-N20261018-5)
- [Reconcile the rent ledger for an arrears notice or claim](https://ailawframework.com/practice/residential-tenancies.md#A57-N20261018-4)

## How AI may be used

AI may line up the ingoing and outgoing condition reports and photos room by room and total the claim items; the lawyer or agent decides what is damage rather than fair wear and tear and what is reasonable to claim.

**AI may:**

- Set the ingoing and outgoing condition report entries and photographs side by side for each room and item
- Flag items where the condition changed, where the tenant recorded a dissenting comment, or where no ingoing entry exists
- Total the claim items and reconcile any rent or charges claimed against the rent ledger

**AI must not:**

- Must not decide whether a change is damage or fair wear and tear
- Must not estimate repair or cleaning costs without a quote or invoice
- Must not lodge or dispute a bond claim

**The lawyer checks:**

- Each claim item fits a permitted head in s 166 and is supported by the condition reports, photographs and a quote or invoice
- Allowance has been made for fair wear and tear, the age of the item and the condition at the start of the tenancy
- Items the tenant disputed in writing on the ingoing report, or that could not have been found on reasonable inspection, are treated as outside the s 30 presumption
- Rent or charges claimed match the ledger, and the claim and any dispute are lodged within the time and in the form required

## Authorities

- [Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW) s 29 (condition reports at the start and end of the tenancy; tenant’s copy within 7 days; completion in the other party’s absence)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2010-042)
- [Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW) ss 30, 31 (signed condition report presumed correct; exceptions for hidden matters and tenant’s written dissent; orders to amend)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2010-042)
- [Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW) ss 163, 166 (claims for rental bonds; matters a landlord may claim, including damage other than fair wear and tear, rent owing, cleaning and locks)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2010-042)
- [Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW) s 168 (disputed rental bond claims; payment only on consent or Tribunal order)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2010-042)

## Full text and drafting notes

The full text and the drafting notes are not part of this public page. Signed-in firm accounts can read them at https://ailawframework.com/precedents/residential-tenancies/bond-claim-condition-report-comparison-checklist-nsw and through the signed-in MCP connector https://ailawframework.com/mcp/firm.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*