Renting in Australia – Leasing Necessary Documents

Important documents needed to obtain a lease:

  • ID documents such as your passport, drivers license etc.
  • A letter of offer of employment from an employer in your new city or pay slips from your current employer. If you’re a contractor you’ll need to find another way to prove that you can pay the rent. This might mean showing your contract with clients of providing statements from your business account.
  • List of past addresses. Some rental applications require a list of a few previous landlords, if you have them.
  • Most recent tax return. Some applications require a copy of your most recent tax return. A tax return may be a replacement for employment records or if you’re unemployed, the return will show how much you earned in the previous year and whether you’ll be able to cover the rent.
  • Banking information. It might be useful to include bank statements showing you have regular income or perhaps already have funds to cover the rent. If you do provide bank statements be sure to protect your privacy and black out private information such as account numbers and private transactions.
  • Ask your current and previous landlords to provide you with a letter of reference stating that you were good, tidy tenants and prompt payers of your rent. Get references for your pets too! You need to provide a new landlord with proof that you’re a responsible pet owner and that your dog won’t destroy their backyard.
  • Anything that you think might be useful in proving you are of good character such as references, certificates and awards.