Ramigojag

Hi all,

I'm moving from my parents house in the UK to Penrith NSW at the beginning of April having already secured employment and already being an Australian citizen.

My concern is whilst looking at property through the various apps (Domain, Real Estate) a lot of the agents application forms want references from previous landlords, a list of previous pay slips etc.

I have a contract offer from my employer signed by both parties and a reference from a company in the UK i rented a single garage from for my car during the winters.

What else would people recommend taking as I don't have a previous landlord except my parents.

Would a letter from them do anything?

I can take everything I do have, just if anyone has some ideas or what they used that worked from a similar situation that would be helpful.

Thanks
Callum

GarryP

A bank balance statement with lots of money in it, and an English accent. And don't look like you are going to have parties and trash the place/annoy the neighbours. These seem to work well. You might not get some property in demand, but agents seem to be trying to avoid bogans and Brits apparently seem to have a good reputation.

Ramigojag

Well that's kind of reassuring.

Thanks for the tips

dancinggnome

Having recently moved into a rental in Sydney, the question would better be : what didn't they want! I had to supply 3 recent payslips (less than 3 months old), character references X 3, driving license, passport, medicare card, had to fill in a lengthy application form that was about seven pages long. But maybe I suggest you send an email to the RE agents and ask what their ID points and requirements are, as everyone seems slightly different.

Ramigojag

Well that's not too bad, but obviously I want to be prepared so I can have the character references prepared before leaving the UK.

All my payslips are going to be from the UK is that an issue? I have a signed letter of engagement from my Aussie employer stating my salary and Commision structure, but haven't actually started work with them yet.

I have copies of my passport and driving license already sorted.

Ramigojag

Did you have character references already sorted or did you just give them referee details?

xizzles

As a landlord, my personal preferences are, in order of priority:

1. How likely are you going to pay the rent on time? As such, company-sponsored tenants get priority over private offers.
2. How likely are you going to trash the place? Students rank lowly, and to be honest, without being racist or discriminatory, students from certain red flagged countries rank the lowest.
3. How long will you wanna rent? (Sometimes, I'm happy to trade a slightly higher offer for a longer rental lease - eg 2 years instead of one.
4. Finally, how desperate am I and how far behind am I in my mortgage payments? Unluckily for the tenants, I'm not, so I can afford to be picky haha.

If you can base your references and supporting documents to answer those questions, you'll be fine.

Good luck with your application!

Ramigojag

Really appreciate your insight, can I ask though most of my references and all my documents bar ID documents are going to be British.

Is this going to be an issue?

Judging from the two previous posts most of the emphasis seems to be put on references.

Also worth mentioning are 6 month tenancies common?

Only reason as being fresh off the boat and not knowing the area inside and out I'm picking a house in the area based on what I can get first, but after 6 months and learning the areas and suburbs I may want to move.

If I asked for a 6 month let is this going to push me down the priority?

xizzles

Not an issue at all. It's worth noting that references in full, as opposed to referee names, might be better (but this is just my personal preference) as it's easier for a landlord to do his due diligence as opposed to having to look up and call or email the referee. And to be honest, references are important because I would want the confidence that I will be paid (and on time) and I would want someone who can take care of the house. Hence, if you could get a reference from your employer (or better still, your new employer), that would be ideal.

Different landlords will have different priorities and preferences but the facts are:

1. Most landlords will use an agent (I know I do for my properties in the market)
2. Each time a tenancy is signed and a new lease is negotiated, I pay a 10% premium on the negotiated monthly rental to make that happen
3. This is on top of the usual service, admin and monthly fees that I pay the agent/agency
4. The shorter the rental, the more often I will have to pay that 10% re-rental fee
5. Also, the landlord is liable for repairs to the property above a certain amount (eg structural or leaks or electrical repairs) - a short term tenancy disincentivizes such repairs from being carried out
5. And the less confidence I might have that a potential tenant will take care of the property, since he'll be outta there in 6 months.

May I suggest that you put in a clause, eg 6 + automatic 6 months renewal subject to certain conditions that may trigger the termination, eg unruly neighbors, meth heads next door or a nuclear plant being built down the street. Or a "diplomatic clause" (eg you lost your job). To be honest, "I don't like the neighborhood" is really not an acceptable reason, personally speaking

Ramigojag

Thank you really appreciate your input.

I've got a reference already written from a previous landlord.

My new Aussie employer is writing me a reference

So if I get 1 or 2 more character references from people here or my one other contact in Australia hopefully that should be me well covered for references.

xizzles

Actually, these 2 references would be more than enough. It's just a precaution we take to vet out unsavory characters - don't worry, it's not the Cambridge entrance interview haha!

Good luck!

Ramigojag

Appreciat that, but I'm very much a belt and braces kind of guy though.

Also one more question if you don't mind.

I'm living on my own no pets and 1 car however I have a taste for the larger typical Aussie house.

Would a landlord disregard my application for say a 3 bed house with a double garage if it's just little old me, or is it a case of if you've got the money you can have it?

I know the obvious question is why do you need all that space?

It's just something I like and enjoy having the space and part of the reason for emigrating was the tiny houses and land you get in the UK

carcajou

When we arrived - though this is in the regions, not Sydney - to compensate for our lack of Australian rental history, and that we were living in corporate accommodation before (so no recent rental history of any kind) - we offered several months' rent up-front, submitted to them copies of our police checks (so they could see we aren't criminals), and wrote the landlords a detailed letter about our jobs and why we were coming to that town, so it would "make sense" to them why we were coming. It did work and we stayed there for some time.

xizzles

I understand exactly where you're coming from, with regard to wanting more space and a double garage - and I can assure you, one of my properties in Annandale has 3 rooms and a 4-car garage and it's been rented out to a regional manager & his wife (no kids, no pets, but a solid company reference and thus far, an absolutely impeccable payment history).

As far as I'm concerned, as long as you're not going to grow marijuana in my backyard or host trance parties in the garage, you're alright.

spouse of scouse

Another landlord here - proof that you can pay the rent and verifiable references from previous/current employers and landlords carry the most weight. To be honest, I wouldn't bother about character references from Mrs Jones down the street or one of your mates, anyone can write those and they carry no weight at all.

You can choose whatever size property you like, it won't make a difference. It's been a long time since I rented in Oz so don't know if they do this there, but in England prospective tenants have to undergo a full credit check - if you have any documents that prove you have a good credit history that would help. If you have a good credit history might be worth getting a report before you leave. I'd chuck in a clear police check too, if you have one. The more the merrier!

Photo ID is a must, your passport should be fine, plus proof that you're in Australia legally and are permitted to stay for X amount of years/permanently. Best of luck.