Moving Out Of Home and General Advice on Renting

Leaving home for the first time is a complicated and expensive matter. There is surprisingly little detailed information on the subject. This Wiki guide is an extensive amalgamation of knowledge to help you consider everything you may face when moving out. All figures are based on city living within Australia, so you may have to make adjustments if you live elsewhere. It is split into 3 main sections.

General Knowledge

Location

Finding a Property

Many people are now finding property to rent or buy on the Internet. There are many RealEstate websites, which allow you to cull properties based on your needs. 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. 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 for a property

It is usually 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 a property

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. If you are late you appear as unreliable and will not be considered. If you are earlier than about 5 minutes you risk appearing too keen.