Rent a Flat or a House

Are you thinking of renting a place?

If you are considering on renting a place, you can either choose to rent:

The whole flat/ house or
Only a room in a flat/ house

Renting a house or a flat can be the best choice if you are thinking on staying in Australia for more than six months. The process to rent a house or flat is relatively complicated in Australia and may be a bit difficult to arrange it from your home country. That is why Information Planet recommends you to book some other kind of accommodation (share accommodation, homestay or backpacker) for your first month. Once you are already in Australia, you can start to look for places to rent with your friends or by yourself.

What are the main things you need to know?

The length of the lease is minimum six months for a flat or one year for a house
The bond needs to be paid before moving in (the amount is on average the same as four weeks rent)
A two weeks rent has to be paid in advance
A contract is signed - read carefully your contract everything relate to your flat/house will be specified there (contract length, cleaning procedures, etc.)

Very important: Make sure you visit the place and check everything that is stated on the contract before you sign it.

How can I find a room to rent?

The most common way of finding a place in someone else's flat is telling your friends and classmates that you need a place to live. Students tend to help each other and very often you will know about a place available. Another way is to pay attention to notice boards at your school and at any Information Planet office. Websites are a very useful tool for roommate seekers.

What are the benefits?

You can decide who you want to share the flat/house with
You can arrange the flat/house as your preferences
You can choose the most suitable place for you (near to the school or work for example)

What are the cons?

It is quite expensive to set up a flat/house as the available flats are usually empty. Therefore, you will have to spend some money buying furniture, kitchen appliances and paying extra bills like electricity, gas and internet connection. In order to decorate your house, you can get some cheap second hand furniture.
It can be a bit complicated to get a successful application. Usually it takes a long time to find the best place for the right price. The real estate’s offices often ask you to show documents that demonstrate that you have a job or any income at your bank account.
A two weeks rent payment would need to be paid in advance plus the bond (usually the same amount of money of four weeks rents).
Electricity and gas are paid separately.
During high season (from October to March) it is quite difficult to find a place to rent.

Which are the provision costs for renting a flat / house?

Below there are examples of the main costs related to the lease of house/flat for 4 people. Please consider the stated prices as an approximate estimation, as they can significantly vary according to many factors, such as the locality, the size and condition of the flat, etc.

Costs before you move to the house/ flat:

Bond (4 weeks rent) plus the rent (at least 2 weeks rent in advance) - $3,000
Setup fees for electricity and gas - $200 - $300
Setup fees for water use (only if you lease a house) - $100 - $200
Setup fees for telephone connection and modem for Internet - $200
Buying equipment (furniture, appliances etc.) - $2,500

Regular costs:

Monthly bill for the phone connection / the Internet - $50 - $100
Bill for the energy consumption (electricity, gas) every three months - $300 - $500
Rent (it is usually paid once in 2 weeks) - $1,000

Costs when moving out:

Costs of the transport, cleaning walls, carpenter etc. - $150 - $500