Finding a Place to Rent or Buy in Australia

Your address affects almost everything else about your move — your removalist quote, school catchment, and utility connections all depend on knowing where you're actually moving to. Start early, but pace your effort differently depending on whether you're renting or buying.

Tenancy law in Australia is set by each state and territory, not nationally — application requirements, bond rules, how much rent you may be asked for in advance, notice periods, and other tenancy rules all vary by where you're moving to. This guide covers the general shape of the process; check your destination state or territory's own tenancy authority for the specifics that actually apply to you.

When to start

• If you're buying, start now — researching suburbs, getting finance pre-approval, and browsing listings takes months, and there's no real "too early."
• If you're renting, don't expect to inspect or apply for your actual home yet — rental listings are often advertised relatively close to their available date, and exactly how close varies by agency and area. Use the time before your move to research areas, set your budget and get your application information ready, then start applying in earnest closer to your move.

Decide before you start searching

• Budget. Work out what you can actually afford, not just what you'd like to spend. For renting, a common rule of thumb is keeping rent to around 30% of take-home income, though this varies by circumstance. For buying, get a realistic idea of your borrowing power before you fall for a listing you can't actually afford — and factor in stamp duty, which applies in every state and can add a meaningful amount on top of the purchase price.
• Must-haves vs. nice-to-haves. Commute distance, bedroom count, pets, parking, outdoor space. Knowing your non-negotiables upfront saves real time filtering listings later.
• Area. Check commute time by your actual transport method, not just map distance, and factor in school catchment zones if relevant. If you're moving interstate or from overseas, budget extra time to research suburbs you've never lived in — character, commute, and price can vary enormously street to street in some Australian cities.

Renting: what to expect

Competitive suburbs can attract many applicants per listing, and agents typically run scheduled group inspections rather than individual viewings. Exactly what's required, and how you submit it, varies by state and agency — many agents now use an online application system rather than a paper form, so check with the agent which one they use. It's worth having the following ready before you start, not after:

• Photo ID
• Proof of income or rental history (recent payslips, an employment offer letter if you haven't started yet, or references from a previous agent or landlord)
• If you're new to the country, evidence of your right to live in Australia (visa or citizenship documents), where relevant

Inspections. Turn up on time, bring your documents, and ask about anything not obvious from listing photos. If you can't attend in person for an interstate move, ask the agent about a video inspection — increasingly common and worth requesting directly.

Applications. Submit as soon as you've inspected a place you want. In popular areas, agents can receive dozens of applications for one listing within days, so a complete application with all documents ready genuinely improves your odds.

Bonds and rental payments. Bond amounts and how they're lodged differ by state — some cap it at four weeks' rent, others allow more for higher-rent properties. Bond is generally lodged with the relevant state or territory bond authority rather than simply being held by the landlord or agent. You'll usually also need rent in advance, so budget for both on top of your moving costs.

Tenancy agreement. Read it before you sign, not after. Check the bond amount, notice periods, and any specific clauses (pets, alterations, break-lease costs) — these vary property to property and by state.

Condition reports (ingoing and outgoing)

Most states require a formal condition report at the start of a tenancy — a room-by-room record of the property's condition (marks on walls, appliance condition, existing damage) that both you and the landlord or agent sign off on. Treat it as protection for your own bond, not paperwork to rush through.

• Go through every room, not just the obvious ones — cupboards, blinds, the oven, taps, any flyscreens.
• Photograph or video everything you note, with a timestamp, before you move any furniture in.
• Note anything you disagree with in writing on the report itself, and keep your own copy.
• Keep that report (and your photos) somewhere safe for the length of the tenancy — it's what you'll compare against the outgoing condition report when you leave, and it's your main evidence if a bond dispute ever arises.

Doing this properly at move-in is one of the best things you can do to protect your bond at move-out.

Buying: the high-level picture

This isn't financial or legal advice, but the broad shape of buying in Australia is (see Navaroa's first-home buying guide for the fuller journey, and the deposit and government support guide for the First Home Guarantee, First Home Super Saver Scheme and stamp duty specifics this section doesn't cover):

1. Get pre-approval from a lender so you know your realistic budget before you start looking seriously.
2. Properties are sold either by private treaty (negotiated offer) or auction. Auction contract terms and cooling-off rules vary by state, but as a general rule an auction sale is treated as unconditional once it's sold, so complete your finance approval, building/pest inspection, and any other due diligence before you bid, not after.
3. A building and pest inspection is standard practice before committing, especially for an older property.
4. Some states give a cooling-off period after a private treaty purchase, but whether one applies, and for how long, varies significantly by state and generally doesn't apply to auction purchases — check the specific rules for your destination state before assuming you have one.
5. Engage a conveyancer or solicitor early — settlement timelines and requirements differ by state.

Budget for costs beyond the purchase price — stamp duty, building inspection, legal fees, and moving costs all add up before settlement.

Buying as a temporary resident or on a visa

If you're not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, buying residential property generally requires approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) first — this applies to most people on a temporary visa, including many skilled-visa holders. The rules are genuinely more restrictive than for citizens and permanent residents:

• From 1 April 2025 to 30 June 2029, foreign persons — including temporary residents — are generally prohibited from buying an established (existing) home, with only limited exceptions. Buying a new dwelling or vacant land can still be possible, with approval before you sign.
• An application and fee are required before you commit to a purchase, and buying without approval when it was required carries real penalties.
• Becoming a permanent resident or citizen removes this requirement going forward — it's specifically a temporary-visa-stage rule.

Check your own situation against FIRB's current guidance before you make an offer — the exceptions and fees change from time to time, and getting approval after you've already signed a contract isn't the order this is meant to happen in.

See Foreign investment in Australia: residential land for the current rules.

Avoiding rental scams

Fake rental listings, often priced well below market to attract volume, exist in Australia too. Watch for:

• Being asked to pay a deposit or bond before you've inspected the property in person
• A "landlord" who claims to be overseas and can't show you the property or arrange a proper inspection
• Pressure to decide or pay immediately, with no time to inspect or ask questions
• Payment requested by wire transfer or an unusual method rather than through a standard agency process

If something feels off, don't send money — see Scamwatch's guidance on rental scams below.

Moving from New Zealand

If you're coming from NZ, a few things are genuinely different here: tenancy law is state and territory based rather than national, bonds are lodged with a state or territory authority rather than a single national body, and buying more often involves an auction process — common in some cities and states, less so in others — than it does in NZ. Budget extra time to get across your specific destination state's rules rather than assuming they work the way NZ's do.

If you haven't secured a place before your move date

This happens, especially on a tight timeline or an interstate/international move. If moving day arrives and you don't have a confirmed rental or settlement date:

• Sort temporary accommodation as a bridge rather than delaying your move.
• Keep applying in parallel — don't pause your search just because you're staying somewhere temporary.
• If you're renting, ask the agent directly whether a slightly later move-in date is workable. Some flexibility does exist, especially for a listing that's just gone up.

Next steps

Once you've secured a place, your new address unlocks several other tasks — connecting electricity and internet, transferring your vehicle registration, and confirming home contents insurance.

Useful links

• Renting vs buying — Moneysmart — the Australian Government's independent guidance on weighing up the two.
• Recognise a scam — Scamwatch — the ACCC's official scam-reporting and awareness site.

Your state's tenancy and bond authority

Tenancy law genuinely is set state by state, so the authority that actually governs your bond and tenancy rights depends on where you're moving to, not a single federal body:

• New South Wales: Residential rental bonds — NSW Government
• Victoria: Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA)
• Queensland: Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA)
• Western Australia: Bonds — Consumer Protection WA
• South Australia: Renting and bonds — Consumer and Business Services SA
• Tasmania: Pay a rental bond — Service Tasmania
• Australian Capital Territory: Rental bonds — ACT Revenue Office
• Northern Territory: the NT has no central bond authority — your bond is held directly by the landlord or agent, so keep your own paper trail (receipt, condition report) rather than expecting a government body to track it.

Where to search

• realestate.com.au — Australia's largest property listing site, for both renting and buying.
• Domain — the second-major national listing site, strong coverage in most cities.
• Rent.com.au — a smaller, rental-specific site worth checking alongside the two major ones.