Complaints, Dispute Resolution & Refund Policy

Rentnest Pty Ltd (ABN 36 692 286 721)

Version: 1.1 Effective Date: 7 June 2026 Policy Owner: Senior Management Next Review Date: 7 June 2027 Contact: [email protected]

1. Purpose and Commitment

Rentnest Pty Ltd ("Rentnest") is committed to delivering fair, transparent, and professional property management services. We recognise that disputes, complaints, and requests for refunds will arise from time to time, and we are committed to resolving these matters promptly, fairly, and in accordance with the law.

This Policy applies to all customers of Rentnest, including property owners, tenants, and contractors, and governs:

How complaints and disputes are lodged and managed
How Rentnest resolves disputes between parties
How refunds of rent, bond, fees, and other monies are assessed and processed

2. Legislative Framework

This Policy is informed by:

Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth))
Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and Australian Privacy Principles
Real Estate and Business Agents Act 1978 (WA)
Real Estate and Business Agents Regulations 1979 (WA)
Residential Tenancies Act 1987 (WA)
Applicable trust account legislation in each state of operation

3. Who This Policy Applies To

This Policy applies to:

Owners - individuals or entities who have engaged Rentnest to manage a residential property
Tenants - individuals who rent a property managed by Rentnest
Contractors - businesses or individuals engaged to provide services in connection with a property managed by Rentnest
Prospective customers - persons who have enquired about or applied for Rentnest's services

4. Lodging a Complaint

4.1 How to Lodge a Complaint

A complaint may be lodged by:

Email: [email protected]
In writing: addressed to the Complaints Officer, Rentnest Pty Ltd
Via the Platform: through the messaging or support function within the Rentnest platform

4.2 What to Include

To help us resolve your complaint efficiently, please provide:

Your full name and contact details
The property address or account reference (if applicable)
A clear description of the issue, including relevant dates and amounts
Any supporting documents or evidence
The outcome you are seeking

4.3 Acknowledgement

Rentnest will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 2 business days of receiving it.

5. Complaint Handling Process

Stage 1 - Internal Review (Standard Complaints)

Timeframe: Resolution within 10 business days of acknowledgement

Your complaint is assigned to a senior team member who was not involved in the matter giving rise to the complaint
We investigate the complaint, including reviewing relevant records, communications, and transactions
We may contact you during the investigation to seek further information or clarification
We provide you with a written response setting out:
- Our findings
- The outcome or decision
- The reasons for our decision
- Any action Rentnest will take
- Your options if you are not satisfied

Where a complaint is complex or requires additional time, we will notify you in writing within the 10-business-day period and provide an updated estimated timeframe.

Stage 2 - Internal Escalation (Unresolved Complaints)

If you are not satisfied with the Stage 1 outcome, you may request that your complaint be escalated to Senior Management for review. Please advise us in writing that you wish to escalate, including the reasons why you believe the Stage 1 response was inadequate.

Senior Management will review and respond within a further 10 business days.

Stage 3 - External Escalation

If your complaint remains unresolved following internal escalation, you may refer the matter to an external body, including:

Consumer Protection WA

Website: www.commerce.wa.gov.au/consumer-protection
Phone: 1300 304 054

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) - for privacy-related complaints

Website: www.oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992

State Administrative Tribunal (WA) - for disputes involving tenancy or property management matters

Website: www.sat.justice.wa.gov.au

Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) - for complaints involving payment services provided by Zai Australia Pty Ltd

Website: www.afca.org.au
Phone: 1800 931 678

6. Dispute Resolution

6.1 Disputes Between Owners and Tenants

Where a dispute arises between an owner and tenant in connection with a property managed by Rentnest (for example, regarding bond, rent, property condition, or maintenance), Rentnest will:

Act as a neutral facilitator where appropriate
Provide relevant records, documentation, and communications to assist resolution
Not unilaterally disburse disputed funds without agreement from all relevant parties or a lawful determination
Where required, refer the matter to the appropriate tribunal or authority (e.g. Magistrates Court of WA or the State Administrative Tribunal)

6.2 Disputes Involving Third Parties

Where a dispute involves a contractor, council, or other third party, Rentnest will:

Review the relevant records and payment instructions
Engage with the third party to seek resolution where appropriate
Escalate to Senior Management if the dispute cannot be resolved at an operational level

6.3 Payment Disputes

Where a dispute arises in connection with a payment processed through the Rentnest platform:

Rentnest will suspend further transactions related to the disputed amount where practicable
Rentnest will investigate the payment instructions, approvals, and records
Where the payment was processed in error, Rentnest will initiate a refund in accordance with Section 7 of this Policy
Where a tenant payment was misclassified between rent and invoice settlement, Rentnest will investigate bank reference data, correct Platform records where appropriate, and apply fee rebates in accordance with Section 7.6.1
Where the payment dispute involves the payment provider (Zai Australia Pty Ltd), Rentnest will liaise with Zai on the customer's behalf and refer the customer to AFCA if required

7. Refund Policy

7.1 General Principles

Rentnest will:

Process refunds only where there is a clear legal entitlement, an administrative error, or an agreed outcome between relevant parties
Treat trust monies with heightened neutrality and not disburse disputed funds unilaterally
Process approved refunds promptly, within the timeframes set out in this Policy
Never process refunds in cash - all refunds are made by electronic funds transfer to a verified bank account
Maintain records of all refund decisions and outcomes

7.2 Categories of Refunds

Refunds may arise from the following circumstances:

Category	Description
Overpayment of rent	Where a tenant has paid more than the rent amount due
Duplicate payment	Where a payment has been processed more than once due to system or banking error
Administrative error	Where a payment was processed incorrectly due to incorrect amounts or account details
Fee adjustment	Where a fee was incorrectly charged or charged for a service not rendered
Tenancy termination	Where prepaid rent must be returned following early termination of a tenancy
Bond refund	Following the end of a tenancy, subject to the applicable process in Section 7.5
Contractor overpayment	Where a contractor was paid more than the agreed invoice amount
Payment classification error	Where a tenant payment intended for a specific invoice or on-charge was processed as rent (or otherwise misclassified), including where the tenant's reference appeared only in a bank field not visible in the primary payment description

7.3 Refund Process

Step 1 - Request or Identification

A refund may be initiated by:

A written request submitted by a customer via email or the Platform, or
Identification of an error through Rentnest's reconciliation or internal review processes

Step 2 - Verification

Rentnest verifies:

The identity of the requesting party
The amount claimed and the basis for the refund
Whether the funds are trust money or non-trust money
The legal entitlement of the requesting party to the funds
That the nominated refund bank account has been verified and belongs to the requesting party

Step 3 - Authority and Approval

Refunds of trust money require confirmation of lawful authority, which may include written agreement from all relevant parties or a lawful determination from a tribunal or court
Refunds of non-trust money (e.g. platform fees) are approved by a senior team member in accordance with Rentnest's internal approval controls
Refunds above $5,000 require approval from Senior Management

Step 4 - Processing

Approved refunds are processed via the Rentnest platform through Zai Australia Pty Ltd
Refunds are made to the verified bank account of the entitled party only
Where a refund relates to a management fee charged in error on a property (see Section 7.6), Rentnest may, in the first instance, apply a rebate or credit to the property's wallet on the Platform to offset the fee, rather than an electronic funds transfer to the Owner's external bank account. The Owner will be notified in writing. If a wallet rebate is not practicable, Rentnest will process an EFT refund to the Owner's verified account
Cash refunds are not permitted under any circumstances

Step 5 - Notification and Record-Keeping

Rentnest notifies the relevant party in writing once the refund has been processed, including the amount, destination account (partially masked), and estimated processing time
All refund decisions, approvals, and outcomes are documented and retained for a minimum of seven years

7.4 Timeframes

Stage	Timeframe
Acknowledgement of refund request	Within 2 business days
Completion of verification and approval	Within 5 business days of acknowledgement
Processing of approved refund	Within 2 business days of approval
Funds received (subject to banking times)	Typically 1–3 additional business days

Where additional time is required (for example, to resolve a dispute between parties or to obtain a lawful determination), Rentnest will notify the requesting party in writing with an estimated timeframe.

7.5 Bond Monies

Bond monies are held and managed strictly in accordance with applicable state legislation. Rentnest will not release bond monies until:

Written agreement is reached between the owner and tenant as to the allocation of the bond, or
A lawful determination is made by the relevant authority or tribunal

Where a dispute over bond monies cannot be resolved between the parties, Rentnest will refer the matter to the appropriate authority (for example, the Magistrates Court of WA or the State Administrative Tribunal).

7.6 Management Fees

Management fees properly earned under a valid Property Management Agreement are generally non-refundable. Rentnest will refund fees where:

A fee was charged in error
A fee was charged for a service that was not delivered
A fee was charged at an incorrect rate

Fee disputes are handled in accordance with the complaint process set out in Section 5 of this Policy.

7.6.1 Management fees on misclassified tenant payments

Management fees are earned on rental income under the Property Management Agreement. They do not apply to tenant payments that are correctly classified as invoice or on-charge settlements (for example, water usage or other amounts billed to the tenant via invoice).

Where Rentnest determines that a tenant payment was misclassified (for example, processed as rent when the tenant's payment reference identified a specific invoice), Rentnest will:

Correct the Platform ledger records where required
Rebate or credit any management fee charged on that payment to the property wallet in the first instance, so the Owner is restored to the position they would have been in had the payment been classified correctly
Notify the Owner in writing of the correction and any rebate or credit applied

This remedy applies to Owners, not Tenants. Tenants are not charged management fees. If a Tenant believes they have overpaid an invoice or rent, that is handled under the relevant category in Section 7.2 (for example, overpayment of rent or duplicate payment).

Occasional misclassification may still occur; Rentnest will correct qualifying cases promptly when identified.

7.7 Mandatory Reversals

Where a financial institution initiates a mandatory reversal of a transaction previously paid to an owner (for example, due to a fraud investigation or payment network error), the owner is responsible for repaying the reversed amount. Rentnest will:

Notify the owner promptly upon becoming aware of the reversal
Provide the owner with details of the reversal and the amount owing
Cooperate with the financial institution's investigation
Pursue recovery of the reversed amount from the owner in accordance with the Platform Terms of Use

8. Records

All complaints, dispute resolution outcomes, and refund decisions are documented and retained for a minimum of seven years. Records are stored securely and are accessible to authorised personnel only.

9. Continuous Improvement

Rentnest reviews complaint and refund data periodically to identify systemic issues, recurring problems, and opportunities to improve its services and processes. Complaint trends are reported to Senior Management at least annually.

10. Contact

For all complaints, disputes, and refund requests:

Email: [email protected] Website: www.rentnest.com.au

This Policy is reviewed at least annually. The current version is published at www.rentnest.com.au.

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