Free for renters

Is this bond deduction fair?

Agents often claim full replacement cost for items that are already half worn out. This calculator uses ATO effective-life figures to show what an item is actually worth at its age. Free. No signup. No personal details collected.

Carpet, dishwasher, oven, blinds, ceiling fan or paint. Pick the item, enter its age and original cost. See whether the bond claim is in a reasonable ballpark. The figures are common estimates from the ATO effective-life schedule. They are a guide, not a fixed rule.

Use at your own risk. This is a free guide, not legal or financial advice. TenantTrail makes no warranty as to the accuracy of any number this tool produces and accepts no responsibility for any loss, decision or outcome from its use. See our full disclaimer for the complete picture.

Is this deduction fair?

Tribunals across Australia generally apply a useful-life estimate to each item and reduce a claim by how old the item already is. Pick the item, enter what you know, see whether the agent's claim is in a reasonable ballpark.

Common estimate, not fixed law. Edit if you have a better one.

These useful-life figures are common estimates based on the ATO effective-life schedule, which is used for tax depreciation, not tenancy law. They are a guide, not a fixed rule. A tribunal weighs each case on its facts and is not bound by these numbers. Paint is not an ATO depreciating asset, so its figure is a rough convention only. This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm anything important with your state's Tenants' Union.

Use at your own risk. TenantTrail provides this tool as a free guide only. We make no warranty as to the accuracy of any number it produces and accept no responsibility for any loss, decision or outcome resulting from its use. You should confirm anything important with your state's Tenants' Union before relying on it.

Next step

Found a deduction that does not add up?

Start a free TenantTrail case. Upload the entry and exit reports, the bond claim and any photos. Move-Out Mode runs the same maths across every item, flags unlawful demands under your state law and prepares an evidence pack you can lodge at the tribunal.

No personal details

The shareable card holds only the item, the maths and the disclaimer. Your address, agent or photos never appear.

Straight-line maths

fair value equals original cost times one minus age over useful life. Past its useful life means depreciated value is zero.

Editable defaults

Useful-life figures are common ATO estimates. A tribunal is not bound by them. Change the number if you have a better one.

Embed this calculator on your site

Run a renter blog, a tenancy support page or a community newsletter? Paste this snippet into your page HTML and the calculator drops in. It is free, no key needed, no tracking pixels. Every embed carries the TenantTrail watermark and a small attribution link, that is all we ask.

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  • Responsive. Set a max width that suits your layout, the iframe scales down on mobile.
  • Auto-resizing. The optional script bumps the iframe height to match the calculator content as the user fills it in.
  • No personal details collected. The calculator runs entirely in the visitor's browser. The share card and watermark are part of the embed.
  • Want a custom look? Drop us a line, we are happy to tune the colours for partner sites.