What Happens When There’s a Change in Co-Tenants During a Tenancy?
During a tenancy, there may be occasions when a tenant moves out and a new person moves in to take their place within the household.
According to the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA), changes of co-tenants during a tenancy are common and come with responsibilities for all parties involved, including:
- the tenant who’s leaving
- existing co-tenants
- the new tenant
- the Landlord or Property Manager
The Landlord/Property Manager must approve any changes to a tenancy, including who is allowed to live at a property and any amendments to the existing tenancy agreement.
If these changes are approved, the exiting tenant should discuss any outstanding rent, cleaning, or damage repairs with their co-tenants and the replacement tenant, and come to an agreement on how these issues will be resolved.
If the new tenant is taking over the exiting tenant’s bond money, this should be actioned as soon as possible. The tenant leaving the property will need to get their share of the bond money from the new tenant and a change of bond contributors request will need to be completed, via RTA Web Services or by completing and sending a paper form to the RTA. Either the Landlord/Property Manager or a bond contributor can start the Change of bond contributors request.
Completing a Change of bond contributors request will ensure the correct parties are listed on the bond and will streamline the bond refund process at the end of the tenancy.
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