 Good morning everybody and thank you for joining us this morning for today's webinar on the RTA Web Services. My name is Lynne Smith and today our guest speaker is Hobie Bennett. Hobie is from the customer experience team but is currently working as a project officer in our web services area. So welcome today Hobie. Thanks Lynne, thanks for having me. In today's seminar we will be looking at the RTA's web service and particularly the update on the bond lodgements. We're going to be showing you a brief video on how this particular service is going to work and this will be replacing the existing PDF upload facility, so the one that you use through the e-services. We're also going to be looking at the upcoming changes to other RTA services and that's going to be including the printing of ceasing to do the bulk printing at the end of this year. We're also going to be looking at email notifications, ensuring your security and privacy when receiving email notifications from the RTA, look at median rents and how to get that information and also if you do have questions feel free to submit them through and at the end of today's session we will look at doing some of those questions for you. So just before we start I am going to launch a poll just to gather who is in our audience today. So in this question we're looking at which group in the rental sector do you belong to? So we're looking at whether you're a tenant or resident, a property manager, an agent, a landlord, community support organisation or other. So I'll just leave that for a few more moments for everyone to complete that for me. Great, thanks everybody. So what we look like we have quite a few people that are actually more property managers and real estate agents and a small percentage there of landlords as well. I'll just close that poll. So customers have actually told us that when dealing with the RTA with any tenancy transactions we need to have faster and more convenient ways. The RTA currently offers property managers and property owners and tenants three ways to lodge a rental bond. So our new RTA bond lodgement web service so that's lodging the rental bond online. We also have by way of e-services where you can scan a PDF version of the lodgement form and upload that through our system and pay by B-pay or we also have posting the pay for forms in with a check on money order to the RTA. And keeping in mind that some of the questions is that can a tenant actually lodge a bond? The tenants have always been able to lodge their bond so while the main bonds coming through are from property managers and owners they can come through the other way as well from tenants. But as of 1 October 2019 the RTA's bond lodgement web service will replace the option of that e-services PDF scanned form. So again as of 1 October next week the lodgement service will actually be through our web service and not through the e-services PDF scanning of the online of the upload facility for the lodgement form. So Hope is going to be demonstrating the web services to you shortly by way of a quick video so we will then be able to explain a little bit more then. The benefits of the web service is that it's easy, fast and convenient. It is a secure way to pay the bond to the RTA. It will also minimise the risks, delays and administrative work for property managers and owners and tenants to lodge a bond and also to reduce the pay for forms missing that information or are not legible. So a lot of the times that the RTA does get our forms through we are unfortunately seeing that it's either missing signatures or information and on occasions the checks don't actually add up to the bonds that's been lodged. So that's going to cause delays in processing for the RTA and on sometimes the RTA has to return those lodgements back to the people and again that's more paperwork. So the web service will minimise a lot of these administrative errors. The benefits of the web services for tenants that they will be able to lodge the bond directly to the RTA and get an instant receipt when they pay by credit card or debit card and for property managers and agents. If your tenants lodge the bond this will save your administrative work and you will be notified by the RTA once that bond has been processed. So most agents will be asking tenants to pay the bond money well before they move in and hand over those keys. So we're just going to go and play a very short video. This video will show you the steps required to create a QGUB identification process and also to complete the lodgement form online and also the options of the payment. We're going to be stepping through the whole process. It is a very short video. Some of it is a little bit faster than other areas so just keep that in mind. But again remember a copy of this webinar will be available on the RTA's website. So if you do need to view this process again along with we also have fact sheets and other information available as well. So Hobi I'm just going to play that and over to you to explain the video. Cool thanks Lynn. So first we're going to go to the RTA website and we're going to navigate to the lodgement form. So if you click on that you'll take you to the terms and conditions. You'll scroll down, you'll be able to click that you agree, indicate the properties in Queensland and that's rental property and proceed. So here is the QGUB website. You click on the registration page. Here's where you complete your details. It's very important for this process that you have your ID that you need. You need a hundred points of ID. On the further page it will be able to explain what those ID will be but you'll need an email address that you'll be able to use to register as well. You'll have these details in. You'll have another terms and conditions that you can read and agree to there. And this part here it will send a confirmation code to your email address. Just double check your junk folder as well. Make sure the confirmation code is there and then you'll click continue. So this is the details page as I was pointing out before, the hundred points of ID. So that's the list down there you'll be able to see on this page explaining what types of ID you can possibly use. In this example we're going to use a driver's license and a Medicare card. So here you'll put in the details. This obviously is a very important feature of the QGov website. It makes sure that it's very secure and helps us function with the online process a lot more securely. So just completing these details here on the QGov website and read that there. Declare that this is your information you're providing. Confirm some more details here. And then this indicates you're wanting to share details with the RTA. And this is our online log form. So this is the information that you're indicating to do with the bond log form itself. So you'll indicate what your relationship is to the property itself. This is confirming your QGov information at the top is for your QGov account. You'll put in a phone number for yourself and RTA ID if you have. If obviously if you're an agency you'll know what your client ID is a lot better than maybe a tenant would. This is the information about the company. Here we have validation in this field that helps to identify the account that's actually going there. So it helps us match it to the correct client. Here's some more details. If obviously if you have an account with the RTA already you do business with us. You obviously do have details with us. So we won't override your details. It's just important that we have as much details as possible currently so for all of our communication possible. Company email addresses is obviously very important for us moving forward with our online forms and currently as well just so we can make sure we get any important communications to you guys as you would know. And this is also another additional field here for a company's mobile number as well. So if we don't have that on file. So this is about the property itself so indicating what type of property it is having bedrooms and the address. This also has a validation field here where it's looking up via the Australia Post database. It'll auto fill the rest in this once you select that address out of the drop down box. This is about the rent so there's also some smarts in this field here where it's going to automatically validate and calculate what the maximum amount of the bond should be based on the property. And as well this is if you do have a lease end date it will pop up here when you click yes. And you better put in the end date of that lease and just complete that there. And then as well this is about the tenant so you put in the tenants details. Very important as I was saying before that we do have an email address for the tenant for communication. As we normally do this is very important and integral to the online forms processes that we have. And you can also add an additional tenant if you wish and you can confirm the contributions for each tenant. This is the summary page here so good part to take a screenshot possibly of this if you need to just in case for your records. However you'll go to the next page and be able to proceed to payment. Here we have MasterCard and Visa payments and BPay payments so just completing there. Okay great thanks Hoby so oops sorry everybody. So what happens if a customer cannot access the web services? So lodging forms will be available to download from the RTA's website or you can order by phoning the RTA contact center on 1300 3double6 3double1. Paper forms will continue to be accepted via post for those customers who do not have digital access. So this may be that you don't own a computer or that you are unable to get assistance from family or friends or the local library. Remember there are benefits of doing the online web services that being it's quick and easy and this is what our clients are looking for. Right what I might do just now is thanks Hoby we might just launch another poll. Just ask them quickly the question did you find the online web service lodge went easy to understand and follow. Now whilst I understand it was you know done fairly quickly and and a lot of information there. I suppose what we're looking at is just gauging people's responses. Look it was easy to follow look it was but I might need more information or now I really do need more information or I really just did not understand it. I might just like go to a couple of the questions that's coming through. And I suppose one of them is in relation to the auto population field from Australia Post. So if there's no Australia Post address yet the system you can actually just do a manual field. Can't you Hoby? You can manually enter in the address. Obviously that's going to be the case for a lot of new properties that databases updated quite often. But if it hasn't been added yes you can go in or like a more difficult address that actually post would track. Okay and another question that's come through about you know do they have to give all the agency details to the tenant if they're going to be lodging the bond and we'll realistic probably yes and that's probably whether the ABN numbers there or whether it's having a copy that lease agreement with all your details on it. Yeah absolutely yeah and like I said I mean having a lease agreement having those documents in front of you are going to be very important for doing that lodgment process so we do suggest you have them from you going through that. Okay I'll just close that poll thanks everybody for completing that and it looks like the majority of people did say that it was fairly easy to understand and all they did understand it but may need a little bit more information. So thanks very much for actually answering that particular poll I'll just do one more question another one's coming in people one of the agencies looks like they're working with the elderly and they don't have email address so and that may actually be on the on the occasions that that does happen so I suppose at the end of what you have said before if people don't have access to web services or computer that they can actually still do the pay-per-form if need be. Exactly yeah we're still going to continue to cater to all types of clients we encounter so that obviously means that if you do not have an email address you can still interact with the RTA. Obviously we want to have as much information as possible for our processes so contact numbers that's obviously important for this fee process but an email address at this current time we can still function with the RTA correctly. Great so again there's a lot of benefits again just summarizing what Hobie's gone through is that you know we're no longer going to be reliant on signatures it is faster and easier to do this particular process it is going to reduce a lot of administrative errors and I think that's a very important point to create us to make sure that people follow this process and again to moving on in the lead-up to more services that may be coming available online this is an opportunity for people to jump on and create that QGov process. Okay so everybody so there will be some more changes to the RTA services coming soon and that's going to be expanding the web services to include the refund a rental bond process so once this is available this will also replace the e-services PDF upload facility for refunding a rental bond so clients will still be able to use the e-services at this point in time but again later on we will be turning off any of the other upload facilities so we will be notifying all our customers throughout various methods and providing information and education once that is actually released but as the RTA progresses towards paperless services we'll be expanding our digital services this is also going to reduce our environmental footprint and the RTA will be in a position then to enhance and tailor our customer services and support for the rental sector. Further to this as of 1 January 2020 the RTA is going to be cease bulk printing of all our forms and publications so customers can download these directly from the RTA website and single copies are also going to be available for orders by customers who don't have that digital access remember you can send tenants a copy of the 17a information statement that publication for agents and landlords to give tenants by way of a PDF in an email that if you turn a degree site this also is going to give you evidence by providing them with the document so again that's part of a requirement under our legislation to make sure that you actually do hand over an information statement for general tenancies. With the removal of the witness box from signature page of the tenancy agreement you can also do digital signatures on this form and also again email a copy just need to make sure that with everything that you're doing that you are still complying with the legislation and for any of the customers who don't have access to a computer or the internet again you can still contact the RTA call centre who will be able to send you out the required form so again there's going to be more information available on our website over the coming weeks in relation to these changes so have you just before I go on to the next slide there's still a couple more questions coming through and one of them that there's quite a few coming through about how long does it take to receive the receipt and notification by doing it through the QGARV and as you had rightly said that when it's paid by a direct debit or credit card it is literally an immediate kind of receipt but if it's by BPAY what sort of timeframe are we looking at? Well we're going to generate the BPAY depending on what type of lodge we get in obviously if everything goes correctly the BPAY reference will be generated quite quickly so we're talking about very very very quickly with that sort of situation but it does depend on each form so with that obviously it's important for us to making sure that we're getting the right information for the address we're getting the right information from everyone so we can contact people about the BPAY reference as quickly as possible. Yeah so literally once the RTA has processed it here the acknowledgement of bond receipt that is sent out to all parties is sent straight away so whether they're paying by debit or credit card or paying by BPAY this way. Yep okay over to you Hobi for the about the email notifications. Thanks then so currently the RTA sends out notifications to our customer and customers and this includes bond acknowledgments and receipts. If there are changes between shared bond contributors we would send out a notification which would include to the new contributors or if there's a change in managing parties. The time sensitive notices the RTA sends out includes the notice of claim and notice of unresolved dispute. Notice of claim is where there has been a claim on the bond by one party and we notify the party who's signature or agreement missing asking them do they agree or disagree. If they disagree this proceeds to the RTA's free dispute resolution service for the conciliation. If the dispute is unresolved at the end of that process then a notice of unresolved dispute is issued which allows the person to apply to QCAP for adjudication. Again time frames apply with these two processes. For agents and managing businesses if you have changes within your business with staff it's important that you notify the RTA of anyone who no longer has the authority to deal with the RTA and sign off on bond related matters. For tenants and for landlords to protect your privacy ensure your email address that is provided to the RTA is an individual one and not a jointly accessible email. This is really important and we also ask that you provide an email address that you regularly access and check. Remember some notifications that are sent by the RTA are time sensitive regarding actions that require a response or a further step within a set time frame so it's important to make sure customers check their emails regularly. It's a valid point too what you're saying there. We do take privacy and security very important two points so we really need to do as for individuals so as for a property manager or an owner make sure that when they having their tenants send information to the RTA with the lodge form or anything that they do actually have individual email addresses and not ones that it's jointly accessible. So one of the questions coming in in relation to the bond loan the 2C the Department of Housing bond loan forms that's not acceptable through the online process they will still have to people still have to send those forms in what they're hoping. Yeah so there won't be any changes in regards to that process currently. Okay. Okay just going to talk quickly in relation to median rents we have a lot of questions coming through just to give people an idea we have over 600 registrations today so there's a lot of questions coming through and I'm going to sort of like I've been trying to sort of like summarise some of those in little different topics so that we can actually address those. So what I'm going to do is just quickly go through the median rents. The median rents are calculated by the RTA and we provide information on what the typical rents are for recently rendered properties in a particular area. This data is analysed on information gathered from new rental bond lodge once each quarter so the data doesn't gather information on the condition or the age of the property or any other inclusions. So to go and find out more information what you do is go to the RTA's website and in the top corner up here where I've got the mouse hovering over you'll see forms and resources and then just quickly come down here to the side here where it has the median rents quick finder. In the median rents quick finder this allows you to see what new rental bonds are lodged each quarter and you can also select a postcode for the property and also the dwelling type. So in this example we're looking at the April to June quarter the postcode 4101 and we're looking for flats or units that's in that particular field. When you then submit you'll then go into our rents quick finder and in this particular situation we can see that a two bedroom unit the median rent for that particular postcode is $520 per week and in that particular quarter we received 430 bonds that's actually been lodged through. Another tool what you can actually do and I'll just quickly just highlight this part if you then are on this particular screen if you just I'm just highlighting that service sorry you can also click on here to view the latest detailed spreadsheet data and what this will actually do is take you into an area where you can actually sort in relation to the regions. So this is where again we're looking at one two or three virgin flats and houses and townhouses but what you can also do and this is also go through the particular areas. So if I clicked on central Queensland when I go into that that will actually split into whether it's like Rockhampton, Makai or the different regions. So it's one way to actually see also the information about the types of properties not just from a market rental but also to see how many properties you may actually be that may be let in your particular area during that quarter. So coming soon is actually going to be an update to this and that's going to look he'll have a look in a field that's slightly different but it's also going to be easier to use so do watch this space as there's a lot of information out there in relation to the rental sector and this is also another way just again checking on those market rentals. So again I'll just go through just in summarizing today's webinar from 1 October 2019 the RTA's bond lodgement web service will replace the option to upload those PDF versions of the bond lodgement forms. We also know too that some agents are actually emailing scanned copies of the lodgement forms through that will actually cease as well the only way to be doing things online will be through the bond lodgement web services and again that's requiring that QGOV account to be created first and going through that. So the web services are new fast and efficient and secure way to lodge the bond and again we're removing that risk of all the incorrect information that the RTA is getting all the missing information from forms. Coming soon they will be the refund of rental bonds online and so once this is online the RTA will be turning off the e-services upload of refund forms but again more communications going to be coming from the RTA when that is available and again along with any other new online forms such as you change to details and also the bond disputes. Remember individual email addresses particularly for tenants and landlords for agents and property managers if your staff changes please ensure the RTA has up-to-date information as in who has the authority in your organisation to be dealing with the bonds and again from 1 January 2020 the RTA will cease bulk printing of all forms and publications. Remember you can download versions from the RTA's website or if you require a single form again give our friendly staff in our contact centre a call on the 1300 366 311 number. Okay that's our contact details and again keep on there's a lot of information in relation to what we have gone through today about our web services and to lodge that online. I probably recommend people go and give it a go in relation to creating that QGov account again in the lead up to more online services being available this is an opportunity to make sure that you are registered and be able to do this particular process as we launch further online processes. So we also have a video and a fact sheet on both tenants landlords and property managers on this new process and again we also have a people in our call centre who have been trained up to take inquiries in relation to our web services so if you do need more information again please contact our friendly staff on our 1300 number. So I think we've got a lot of questions coming through more than probably what we might have realised but I suppose there's a lot here in relation to about when the rent increases and the bonds increases so this is that top-up process so will the online services accept the increase so this is the topping up of the bond. So the online services will allow you to do the increase currently there's not a specialised lodgement service for that top-up itself but you currently can do that it will be designed in the future the future will be put out that your top-up service will be available. Yeah okay and and there's a lot of people asking in relation to whether it has to be the licensee or the company account or is it a personal account so can a property manager do the registration or does it have to be the licensee and I suppose at the end of the day the licensee is the person who is actually in control of that particular agency but probably either the property manager or the licensee can do the registrations. Yeah either the property manager or the licensee if you are the property manager just go to please ensure that you use your unique working email address so we can verify your profile for transactions with the RTA you also have to make sure the lodgement form has the correct contact details for your organisation so we still need to make sure the official correspondence goes to the right place basically. Okay and how secure is the QGov and the RTA site? Yeah it's a very secure site so basically the whole process that went through with the 100 points of ID the whole basis of that is to basically replace signatures and by doing that we need to make a very secure website and use sorry the QGov's already secure website so QGov have a lot more information available if you go to their website so a QGov for FAQs as well on there. So the service we're providing is similar to all online transactions such as your banking and the RTA has built the system to international standards so both sites are very secure. Right and there's a lot of questions in relation to the bulk lodgements so as a real estate agent or onsite manager what's actually happening about the bulk lodgements? Sure so the RTA has continued to investigate the feasibility to create a digitised service for multiple bulk online lodgements. At this stage this is not available and only the single bulk lodgements available so your current process that you have for bulk lodgements can still go on so you can still use that. Okay so people can still do the paper form but we are encouraging them to give the QGov and the online process a go and again particularly with the fact that we are heading more down this path and creating more online forms and more services that way. Just quickly I can see one question I just want to quickly point out here so you don't need to do screen principles submissions that you're going to say what exactly was submitted there's a summary page there that you can print off it'll you'll be allowed to take that at the end of that process just to keep the record I mean obviously you'll get some confirmation from us as well when you do that lodgement I just saw a question there. Yeah I manage accommodation for international students they don't have Australian identification. So if a tenant doesn't meet the requirements then you can still lodge a paper form on to the RTA. Okay and likewise it goes back to one of the other questions earlier about you know work with the elderly and they don't have email addresses so again there still is that opportunity to still lodge the paper forms. So I'll take this one from in relation to the removing of the forms so the question is about sending tenants a PDF form by email and again as of 1 January we are going to be removing the bulk printing so that information statement yes you can email a copy to your tenant and again that gives you that protection in relation to showing that you actually have given them a copy of that information statement as well. Remember any of our forms and publications you can download and complete any of our RTA forms from the RTA's website and again if you don't have access to the internet or through to the website you just give us a call and we will send out the required form. Remember our focus is actually reducing our environmental footprint and focusing more in relation to tailoring our services for other areas that the RTA provides. So I think we've still got quite a few more questions there in relation to do you still need a tenant to sign a bond form going through this process is actually removing that signature. Yes absolutely but with a bond lodgement form at paper based you still want to be great gathering that signature if you can but for the online bond lodgement you don't need a signature. Yeah and one of the questions who's responsible for lodging the bond to the tenant or the agent and realistically either party can actually lodge a bond and it always has been that way and I suppose what you're looking at as from a real estate agent point of view you're wanting to make sure that the bond's been paid and held here at the RTA obviously as part of your practices before you're handing out the keys so again looking at that timeframe when you're getting tenants to pay if the tenant is paying the real estate agent just keep in mind there's a 10-day timeframe that you must after receiving a bond that you must lodge that bond with the RTA. Again that 10-day timeframe is under the legislation under section 116 that you need to comply with that so a lot of agents will find that once a week that they pull all the bonds together and lodge it but you may find that your business practices might start changing in relation to lodging those bonds as they come through if it's that way alternatively asking your tenants to actually pay the bond and reducing that administration task yourself and that probably pushes about is the RTA pushing for the tenant to lodge their own bond and again it goes back to either party has always been able to lodge a bond so I suppose what we're looking at is just starting here ways how to introduce some of the changes that's coming through into your business for agents and managers making sure they're getting emailing copies of information statements we do see a lot of agents already emailing notices as part of their processes during the tenancy but again this is just all that pre-tenancy stuff as well so again how long until we receive a BPAY bill of code from when it's lodged? So for one it's successfully created so all the details are correct it's gone through on our we've got a process successfully the BPAY code is going to go out instantly so when we're lining up with that process of confirming when the the tenant a couple questions there pointing out this as well when does the tenant pay to the RTA that was stuff with this process of being online it's a lot quicker so I mean we're talking about potentially of getting these things sorted out a lot quicker than currently like a check or something in the mail to be able to confirm that payment with the RTA because that BPAY process and processing that is a lot quicker. Yeah and one of the questions coming through in relation to the if you have multiple tenants paying a bond on the video when Hobie was going through it there is a part there where it actually fills in where the example showed one tenant but you can actually add in more tenants so you know if you've got three tenants moving in you the system will can actually calculate what the if it's divided by three or if there's particular amounts in relation to what each person is paying as bond contributors remember the RTA is only wanting bond contributors so there may be two or three people on the list but maybe one person only paid the bond we just need to know who actually is the contributor of the actual bond. Look I think we can actually do one more question and I suppose that is in relation to a lot of it's coming through about the timeframes so you know as I said it's going to depend based on which lodgement comes in obviously it's hard to give a hard and fast time frame with sort of stuff obviously just because if there is issues we don't want people to be expecting something that just if there is the odd case where a bond launchment won't be able to go through we will need to be able to contact you guys and sort it out as quickly as possible so what I like to say on that though is that once we get the information it goes through and a lot of cases it's going to go through very very quick with our lodgement process that we currently do generating that BPAY then it depends when we receive that money back and once we receive that money back then we will automatically generate that acknowledgement of bond and so on. I'll just do the one last question here is in relation to do each property manager required to create a QGov account well the answer is yes if they're actually going through and authoring a bond lodgement form with us or doing any transaction with us online then we need to identify them and obviously they need to be using their work email address and going through that particular process but yes anyone that is actually going through the online services whether it's the currently online bond lodgement or down the track in relation to the refunds and other forms and services that we'll actually have available you will actually have to have your own QGov process and again if you don't actually have that 100 point ID and unable to go through that particular process we still will actually have the paper process available but keep in mind too QGov is actually and we can provide feedback to QGov as well but they're actually looking to enhance and add more bits and bobs to their services as we progress. Okay look thank you everybody for attending today's webinar I know we've just gone over time and I do apologise for that a quick survey is going to pop up on your screen once I close the webinar and we would really appreciate you completing the form and providing us with feedback along with the topics that you would like to know more about now I haven't gotten to know any amount of questions that we have gotten through but I think we've kind of summarised in a lot of different themes that has come through but this is also great feedback for us because then we can then look at taking tailoring and making sure that any informational questions that we are asked if there's if there's multiple questions on that type of things we can actually create more resources on our website. So again a lot of this information helps us put together future webinars and again also to in that survey if you put down what types of topics you would like to know more about that will actually assist us greatly. So again thank you very much for your attendance everybody we really appreciate your time the webinar will now close and again the survey will be available so please complete that survey thank you and thank you Hoby for your attendance today too.