Moving Out

Moving out

DRAFT: although this question doesn't come up to often in the pub, I think it would be useful to collate the information that has been provided in various threads. I'm also just about to move out, so a lot of the following will be pasted directly from my own wiki.

Expenses

Initial

Bond (normally 4 weeks rent)
Utility connection fees
- Electricity
- Gas
Internet connection setup / transfer fees (+modem if required)
First food shop
Furniture

Homewares

Plates, bowls, cups / glasses and cutlery
Pots and pans
Cooking utensils
- spatula
- knife set
- can opener
- bottle opener / corkscrew
- whisk
- BBQ tongs
- mixing bowls

Whitegoods

Washing machine
Refrigerator
Toaster
Kettle

Ongoing

Rent - rent is normally quoted per week, but normally (AFAIK) paid by the month. Note: the PCM (Per Calendar Month) figure is not the weekly rent times four (although this may vary state to state). In Victoria, the Swinburne Student Services Housing FAQ offers a good guide to calculating this, as does VCAT.

Electricity
Gas
Water - landlords sometimes define a 'free' amount of water per rates billing-cycle. This will be included in your lease. If water isn't defined on your lease, ask the Real Estate agent.
Food
Phone
- Landline
- Mobile
Internet connection

Food

Initial shopping list

Bread
Cereal
Rice
Pasta
Dairy
- Milk
- Eggs
- Butter
- Cheese
Condiments
- Salt and Pepper
- Spices
- Tomato Sauce
- Peanut Butter
- Jam
- Vegimite
- Olive Oil
- Honey
- Curry Powder
Fruit + Veggies
Meat
Other
- Toilet Paper
- Matches
- Paper Towels
- Tea Towel
- Shampoo
- Soap
Cleaning
- Sponge
- Scrubbing Brush
- Washing Powder
- Dishwashing Liquid
- General Cleaner

Location

Finding a place (renting)

By far the easiest way to find a place is to use one (or more) of the following real estate websites:

Domain and RealEstate.com.au offer an email service, which can send you daily updates if you can't be bothered checking the sites every day (although I never managed to get the RealEstate.com.au one to work).

You may find the popular properties go very quickly, sometimes even a day or so after they are listed. If you see a place you really like, make sure you call the agent straight away, and organise a time to inspect the property. Domain has the handy feature of listing only the properties that have been added today. RealEstate.com.au has a similar feature, which allows you to sort the results by latest listing.

Agents

Without trying to be too harsh, agents should generally not be trusted, and obviously do not have your interests in mind. They are trying to get the best tenants, to pay the highest price, in the shortest amount of time.

Applying

In my experience, it is a lot harder for a single guy to apply for a property than a couple. So if you are moving out on your own, try and bring someone that can act as your partner. They don't necessarily have to sign the lease, but it will increase your odds at getting a place.

You will probably be one of many people inspecting a property to rent. You need to distinguish yourself over the other applicants - or, more correctly, you need to avoid distinguishing youself as an unattractive applicant. From the point of view of a landlord, here are a few tips to make yourself a more attractive tenant candidate:

First impressions count. If you are inspecting a property, wear clean clothes, be polite, ask permission to look around and take your shoes off at the door. The agent will be assessing you and will see how you behave during the inspection as an indicator of how you will behave as a tenant.
Landlords want two things in a tenant: Prompt rent payment and care for the property. Anything you can do to reassure the agent/landlord that you will be exemplary in those two qualities will help you.
Don't mess around with the application if you like the place. Fill it out on the spot and hand it to the agent or landlord personally if possible, or hand it in as soon as possible (e.g. at 9am Monday morning if you inspect on the weekend). Have all your paperwork ready to go. Fill it out neatly.
It's sexist, but it's true: landlords expect females to care for a property better than males. If you plan to share, consider the fact that an application from four blokes will not be competitive compared to one with some girls in it, all other things being equal.
The following criteria are seen as positive by landlords: established couples, established jobs/careers, long term rent history, desire for a long (6mth +) lease
The following criteria are negatives: large groups of singles (particularly males), students, unemployed, no rental history or a history of short tenancies, applications for short leases

Inspecting

Properties are generally inspected in one of three ways:

Keys in office is exactly as it sounds: the keys to the property can be picked up from the agent that has them. You will need to show some ID, and normally leave a $50 deposit. The keys will often go out quite regularly on the weekend, so it always pays to ring the agent first, especially if the agent is some distance from the property.

Open for inspection is also exactly as it sounds. These normally occurs on the weekend (occasionally on a weeknight), and it will only be open for about 15 minutes, unlike for sale inspections. The times which properties are open for inspection are normally listed on the real estate websites, but may not be added until a day or two before the inspection. In my experience there are normally a few other people at these kinds of inspections.

Inspect by appointment means you need to call the agent to arrange a time to inspect. The agent will meet you at the property and show you around.

Other Considerations

Housemates

Respect their space. Clean up after yourself. And, as harsh as this may sound, get agreements such as lent money, spotting the rent for someone else, even a cleaning roster written on paper. Unfortunately gentleman's agreements can fall through and bite you later on. This is especially true if you're moving in with strangers, and even with best friends.

Most importantly, have fun! Moving out and sharing with others can teach you a lot in life and you can have a blast doing it.

Logistics

Mail: Depending on your move and how this has come about, you might want to redirect your mail to your new address. It isn't overly expensive at about $23 for three months for a domestic redirection. You can find all the information at your local post office or just go to the following website: Post Office Mail Redirection
Also you may need to notify your bank, mobile phone provider, the electoral commission, roads authority, insurance providers etc. etc.

Breaking A fix Termed Lease

If you sign on for a 6, 12 or 24 month contract and wish to move out prior to the contract expiring you will be liable for a number of charges. The following is a basic summary of what charges you could be charged under the Act. Note that the following can change depending on the State you live in and the agreement with the Landlord and the Realestate agent.

The owner of the property has a right to recover compensation from you as set out in sections 210 and 211 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997.

If you do vacate the property prior to the expiration of the fixed term tenancy agreement, you will be responsible for the following compensation costs: -

1. Rent up until the date that there is another tenancy agreement entered into for the property; the existing tenancy agreement is assigned to another party; or at the expiry of the tenancy agreement into which you entered – whichever comes first.
  2. Advertising costs in proportion to the unexpired period of your tenancy agreement.
         * This includes local newspaper listings and internet listings. Costs can range from $50 to over $100.
  3. A letting fee proportion to the unexpired period of your tenancy agreement.
         * The letting fee is usually 5% plus GST of the average annual rent (as an example for a property at $250 per week: $250 X 52 X 5.5% = $715)
         * If it is a 12 month tenancy agreement and 8 months has expired, the responsibility would be 4/12ths of the letting fee being $238.33
  4. Tenancy application checks on all prospective tenants through the National Tenant Database of Australia.
         * The amount charged for this service is $12.00 for each tenant application
  5. The erection and removal of a For Lease board.

All fees will be finalised and advised to you once a suitable tenant has been secured.

As stated in the above, you need to continue paying your rent calendar monthly in advance as it is an offence under section 428 of the Act attracting 10 penalty units for a tenant to use the bond, or any part of the bond as rent.

If another tenancy agreement is entered into or the existing agreement is assigned and your rent is paid beyond the commencement date of the new tenancy, any overpaid rent will be fully refunded to you.

It is recommended that you speak with your Realestate agent prior to putting in your notice to leave to understand what costs you may be liable for.

Utilities

Try an organise your gas and electricity to be connected the day *before* you plan to move in, as the connection could occur any time during the day, which may be a major pain.