Prepare your application before you inspect
Have photo ID, proof of income (recent payslips or a letter of employment), previous rental references or a letter from a housemate or employer, and bank statements showing you can cover rent ready as a single PDF.
Applications submitted within hours of the inspection are consistently more successful than applications sent two days later.
Understand bond and up-front money
Bond is generally four weeks' rent and must be lodged with the relevant state bond authority, not held by the landlord personally. You should receive a lodgement receipt.
You will usually pay bond plus two weeks' rent in advance at signing. Never transfer money before you have inspected the property and signed a written agreement.
Do the condition report carefully
At move-in you receive a condition report. Photograph every room, every existing mark, and appliance condition, and return the report within the required time — usually three to seven days.
This document is what decides bond disputes at the end of the lease. A thorough set of dated photos is worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Repairs, rent increases and inspections
Urgent repairs (burst pipes, no hot water, unsafe electrical faults, gas leaks) must be attended to promptly; states set out how you can arrange them yourself and be reimbursed if the landlord does not act.
Rent increases require written notice — typically sixty days — and there are limits on frequency, usually once per twelve months. Routine inspections also require notice, commonly seven days.
Ending or breaking a lease
Ending at the end of a fixed term needs written notice within the period your state prescribes. Breaking a lease early usually makes you liable for rent until a new tenant is found, plus reletting and advertising costs.
Getting a replacement tenant approved quickly is the cheapest exit. Offer to help advertise and show the property.
Avoiding rental scams
Warning signs: a landlord who cannot show the property, pressure to pay a holding deposit immediately, prices well below the local market, and requests for payment by gift card or cryptocurrency.
Inspect in person or by live video, verify the person you are dealing with, and never pay before a signed agreement exists.