Renting a house in Australia

Renting a house in general is a bit lay chay. Most of the time the landlords rent out their houses through property agents and do expect quarterly property inspections. Most rentals will require you to be physically in Australia so it is highly unlikely you will be able to secure a rental place while you are still in Sg. You will likely have to fill up an application form to apply for a rental and you are expected to attach proof to support your application.


If you are currently renting a place in Singapore and have a good relationship with your current landlord, you are in luck - get him to write a letter complimenting you as a tenant on matters like keeping the place neat/clean and always paying on time.


If you do not have an existing landlord, get someone (eg colleague,pastor) to write a letter to say you are a responsible person etc. I believe any proof indicating that you are a working professional might help.


It also helps to have a print out of your bank account to show that you are able to pay your weekly rent. If you are lucky to have a job waiting for you in Australia, attach the employment letter.


If you are required to apply online, you may need to submit supporting docs in soft copy. Most public libraries allow you to scan documents for free but you have to bring your own thumb drive. You can also print hard copies at the libraries. But it is probably cheaper in the long run to buy a printer. Once a while you will find very good deals for printers. I have seen $18 for b/w laser printer. It is a case of use and throw. Replenish the cartridge cost more than the printer, not good for the environment tho.


When you have time, go online to do a "paper" search to get an idea of the rental cost and the kind of property that is available.
https://www.realestate.com.au/rent


You will have to decide what suburbs you will be looking at - for most folks, these are usually decided by schools and work place. Some folks believe that as new immigrants, we should mix with the locals and don't be kiasu about schools. Then there are folks who believe there are some schools that provide better environment/education. There are always two sides to a coin, think there is no clear cut what is correct or wrong. Anyway here are some websites that may help if you believe in the latter:
https://bettereducation.com.au/SchoolRanking.aspx
https://www.goodschools.com.au

If you locate a public school you prefer/like, make sure to visit their website to get an exact map of the school zone. So when you shortlist your rentals, be sure that it is indeed within the school zone. If you are living with the school zone, the school has an obligation to accept your child/children. Some popular/crowded schools can be very strict with zoning.


Australian summers can be really unforgiving. If you can, you might want to look for a rental place with very little grass. When summer comes most lawn sure chow dar unless you have a lot of time to take care and water the lawn frequently. It will be very stressful if your landlord is very particular about keeping the place. Artificial lawn is the best in my personal opinion.

The house I rented had no fruit tree. The house next door was also owned by my landlord. My neighbour was so lucky to have an orange tree that produced very sweet naval orange fruits. Who doesn't like free fruits? Renting a house with fruit trees is definitely a plus.