Renting in Australia

Most rental accommodation in Australia is rented through a Real Estate Agency. The Real Estate Agency does not own the property but acts on behalf of the owner by employing a manager of the property, called a Property Manager, to organise the new tenants, ensure all the paperwork and legal documents are taken care of, arrange regular property inspections and organise for any problems with the property to be fixed. The Property Manager lists the property for rent (on the internet in most cases), and those interested in viewing the property should make contact with the Property Manager to arrange an inspection. You should also ask for the application paperwork before attending an inspection as during busy times properties can be leased quite quickly and you will need to hand your completed forms to the Property Manger as soon as you have inspected the property and decided that you want to apply for it.

Remember, when you rent in Australia you will most likely be dealing with a Property Manager at a Real Estate Agency, not the landlord themselves. You will usually never have direct contact with the landlord so maintaining a good relationship with your Property Manager is important.

Arranging for a rental in Australia is relatively complex matter and it can take some time to a find suitable place so do as much research as you can to narrow down your search criteria prior to arriving.