astera

I see a lot of places listed as "long term" when searching for properties, but what are the standard rental time-frames in Australia? Is there some flexibility or is there a standard that is difficult to shorten?

spouse of scouse

It really depends on the landlord - generally the shortest lease term you'll get is 6 months, some ask for twelve. Anything less than 6 months is usually classed as 'short term'.

spouse of scouse

ps......it's possible to break a lease if you need to leave the property before your lease ends, but tenancy law in Oz allows the landlord to recover from you the cost of advertising the property for rent again, and you're also liable to pay the rent until 1)the property is re-let, or 2) the end date of your lease.

astera

Is a 6 mth basic lease standard practice, what is the default lease agreement like?

Here in Singapore it's pretty much 2 yrs across the board, with only a provision to shorten that in case someone's employment pass isn't renewed.

spouse of scouse

Sorry astera, I'm not familiar with the term default lease agreement. Does that mean if a Singapore landlord doesn't specify a particular length of time for a lease, 2years is the default?

In my experience, 6 or 12 months are the common leases here and there is no default period of time - ie landlords can and do set their own lease periods. Obviously, if they have a good tenant and they're still wanting to lease the property, tenants are offered another lease - again, for the period of time the landlord wishes.

There is another type of lease called a periodic tenancy - this link is a good one for all matters to do with tenancy law in Australia, and breaks down the different laws for each State http://www.rentalagreementsdiy.com.a..._australia.php

astera

Sorry, I meant what is the most common practice in terms of the lease agreement. Since web sites generally list "long term" I assumed that there would be some sort of common figure since the exact number isn't specified.

In Singapore it's basically 2 years in each case barring exceptional circumstances (building about to get taken down, someone wanting to sell soon, someone coming back to live in their apartment sooner, etc.). In general every agent will tell you it's 2 years as standard, that's why listings here never show any numbers unless something would differ from that.

Since listings in Australia aren't specific I thought that there would be something general that people are used to...

Almo

I would say 12 months based on personal experience. From memory the last rental application form I completed had a space to nominate the lease length and I've heard of people putting longer leases on the form than specified in the advert as a way of being more attractive to landlords. Landlord is free to reject this of course.

Scotty1

Long term generally means 12 months or more. Where a landlord asks for a long term tenant, it means they are looking for someone who wants to rent for a long time. This does not always mean that they want a 2 or 3 year lease, but they they want someone who plans on being there a while.

In Oz, a standard lease is 6 or 12 months. If you want to be somewhere a while and the landlord is asking for a long term tenant, the 2 or even 3 years may be possible, but there are pros and cons with a lease of this length so think carefully. Breaking a lease and how you can do it is different in various states - in NSW for example you can do it if you pay 4 or 6 weeks rent and the clause is in the lease.

If you are moving here for the first time, an initial 6 month lease to see if you like an area before committing longer term, might be an idea?

RedDragon2008

Problem with the shorter 6 month lets here in Oz, is the landlord will always raise the rent when the 6 months ends & you want to continue It is possible to ask for a 2 yr rental contract straight off but most agents will tell you it's best to go for the annual one and just renew it when the time comes as it will mean less "pain" if you need to break the contract