Resident deposits create an ongoing obligation to connect money, agreements and evidence. A useful prudential review starts with the amounts held, what may need to be refunded and the decisions behind any use of those funds. This guide was reviewed on 25 September 2026.
Use the current prudential framework
The Financial and Prudential Management, Liquidity and Investment standards replaced the former four standards on 1 November 2025. Check applicability for your provider in the Commission’s current guidance.
Build your review around the relevant requirements, named owners and evidence. A completed software checklist is useful only when the underlying decisions and records support it.
Identify the refund trigger
A refundable accommodation deposit is a lump sum accommodation payment. The balance and refund deadline depend on the applicable circumstances; there is no universal 14-day clock from departure. Retain the transfer notice, departure record or estate evidence and check the Department’s refund guidance.
Before authorising payment, reconcile the balance, permitted deductions and applicable interest. Keep the calculation and payment evidence with the record so a later query can be answered.
Assess each use of refundable deposits
The permitted-use rules do not allow ordinary operating costs such as wages and consumables. Certain capital expenditure, investments, refunds, loans and reasonable business losses may qualify under specific conditions. Read the Commission’s permitted-use guidance.
For each proposal, keep the purpose, amount, assessment, approval and supporting documents together. A category selected in a register is not, by itself, evidence that the use is allowed.
Review liquidity with the financial records
Applicable providers must assess their minimum liquidity amounts and strategy under the Liquidity Standard. Refund exposure is one input; a deposit-to-assets ratio is not a substitute for that assessment.
Bring finance and governance together around the same dated information. Record what changed, which assumptions were reviewed and who owns any follow-up action.
What to inspect in Statura Care
The Prudential workspace identifies overdue refunds, missing agreements and gaps in approval or filing evidence. Its facility liquidity view shows recorded balances, deductions and refund exposure. Governance and reporting views support attestations, financial-year statements and resident disclosures.
Bring a sample refund and reporting period to a finance demonstration. Follow an exception to its underlying record, inspect the evidence and confirm the board approval and external filing steps your team retains. Use the evaluation workbook to record what you see.